


I Told You Once, and I Told You Twice, I AM Maxwell!

by CloudyLightning



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: switched
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-06 12:58:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5417963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudyLightning/pseuds/CloudyLightning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU! Milla was just a Rashugal soldier working with the focus to protect people. But during her guard duty, she encounters a boy who claims to not be a human at all. Or rather, he insists that he is, in fact, Maxwell himself. *Where Jude and Milla Switch roles*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of a Story

Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Story

The room was warm and silent as a small teenage boy rested in his "throne" in a shrine. Or rather, his shrine. The ends of his semi-flat black hair faded to a gentle blue, just stopping high above his shoulder. The only thing that stood out in his hair was the lock of hair on his left with a tinge of red. He wore white coat lined with red and purple markings and the ends were cut like petals of a flower, or (if one would rather call it) leaves. He had a dark blue button down shirt underneath, rimmed with deep purple and wore pants that matched his coat. His hands were covered with a pair of brown gloves that reached his elbow and wore boots that reached halfway up his leg.

His eyes were closed and his body was lax against the chair, as if he was sleeping. His chest moved with each slow breath he took. A knock on the door of his shrine disrupted the peace, but the teen made no movement and continued to sleep.

"Lord Maxwell?" called a voice as the door opened. A teen with long white hair tied into a ponytail and long bangs walked into the shrine with soft steps. He wore a red lined, silver patterned white vest with a tight, black undersuit, and a deep blue feathered-collar around his neck. His vest extended to his legs, making it seem like he was wearing shorts. He also had separated white sleeves that matched his vest and a pair of red shoes. His olive green eyes caught the sight of the teen dozing off at his place once again.

The white-haired teen, Ivar, sighed and shook his head as he headed over to the other teen. "Are you sleeping on duty again? Lord Maxwell, you know you shouldn't sleep like that."

Going up a couple of stairs, Ivar made his steps a little loud to announce his presence but "Lord Maxwell" didn't budge. He placed a hand on the smaller teen's shoulder and shook him gently. "Lord Maxwell?"

When he didn't answer, Ivar tried again with a different name. "...Jude?"

Suddenly, "Lord Maxwell's" eyes snapped open, revealing a lovely shade of honey gold. For a moment, Ivar was relieved that he woke up, but there was something wrong. Jude's eyes were wide with horror and his skin felt cold. He was also several shades paler than usual.

"Ivar..." Jude muttered shakily. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you since no one had seen you after the morning rituals," Ivar answered, then asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Jude answered with a shake of his head, his expression slowly falling into his normal blank-like look and color slowing returning to his skin. "Just a bad dream. What time is it?"

"It's just past noon, Lord Jude." Ivar said as he moved to the center of the shrine. Jude nodded as he sat up and clapped his hands together.

"Ah. I just remembered something." he lied. Jude could feel the presence of the Four hovering by him as he stood up. "I forgot to help out today!"

Ivar immediately spun on his heel to catch Jude smiling. "Now, wait right there!"

Jude didn't listen to him as he took off toward the door. In all honestly, he already did help out the people of Nia Khera, but he needed a believable excuse. Ivar caught him by the back of his coat collar and pulled him back a bit. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm heading back to Nia Khera, obviously." Jude replied.

"And just what are you going to do there?"

"...help." came Jude's answer.

"Ju--!" Ivar was only able to get one syllable of Jude's name before a gust of wind suddenly push him back, making him suddenly release the smaller teen and fall to his rear. Jude easily caught his balance and turned on his heel to face Ivar. And polite smile lit Jude's face as he waved once.

"I'll be fine. It's only cows, Ivar." Jude said, "But, as always, thank you for your concern!"

The teenage Maxwell turned around and hurried to the door as Ivar scrambled to stand up.

 ** _"Lord Jude, please do watch your step."_** said a motherly voice in his head.

"Right, of course, Undine!" Jude grinned as he felt the warm sunlight on his face right outside. He could hear Ivar hurrying after him inside, so he didn't waste another second. Jude leapt in the air and felt Sylph's wind catch him, lifting him up in the air.

"LORD JUUUUUUUUDE!!!" Ivar cried as he shot out of the shrine. Jude couldn't help but sigh and shake his head as he flew higher in the air. Sylph appeared beside him, along with the other spirits as Ivar began to hop up and down, demanding Jude to come back. Even though it was rude, Ivar learned early on that Jude would not so much as listen to him if he wasn't forceful enough to breakthrough the young Maxwell's thoughts.

 _ **"To Nia Khera?"**_ asked Sylph as she crossed her arms. Jude shook his head as his expression became serious.

"No, we need to go to Fennmont. Too many Spirits just died, and I need to get to the bottom of this." he replied.

 _ **"What about Ivar?"** _ Gnome asked, taking a glance at the white-haired teen. Jude shrugged.

"I'll deal with his scolding later. Right now, I must go to Fennmont."

 _ **"As you wish, Maxwell."**_ Efreet said as the other spirits nodded their heads. Little did Jude know that it would be a while before he could hear Ivar's voice again.

._._._._._.

A soft, yet heavy sigh escaped a long, blonde haired woman as she strolled down the walkways of the research center. Her sword bounced lightly at her side with her gloved hand placed loosely on the grip. Her boots clicked as the hit the glass-like floors. Her outfit was a standard Rashugal soldier outfit without the helmet. She always hated how stuffy it felt to be wearing the helmet, despite the fact that it was supposed to protect her head.

Just yesterday, she was assigned to guard duty in the Research faculty in Fennmont. She was informed that there was a weapon she had to protect and make sure no one unauthorized could enter. In all honesty, Milla barely ever got guard duty. She was always given field missions, like take care of a few monsters and get rid of any spies from Auj Oule.

"Ah, Milla, it's nice to see you on guard duty for once." said a familiar voice. Miller stopped her stroll and turned to see a very familiar face. She smiled at the sight of the older man.

"Professor Haus," she greeted. "I haven't seen you for a few weeks at most."

"Which is good considering the reason why I usually see you." the Professor responded good-naturedly. They shared a laugh, enjoying the short moment. Miller had met Haus on many occasions. Most of it was because of her teammates straining their mana or getting injured herself from a mission or two. She would admit that it was nice to meet the man, but she would rather meet him for a different reason altogether.

"All too true, Professor." Milla said with a smile. "What brings you here today?"

"I was asked to help out today." he winked. He looked around and leaned in, gesturing Milla to do the same. "Since I trust you, they asked me to help out on a Top-Secret research in the lab today."

"Oh...that's a bit strange considering your field of expertise." Milla said as she leaned back, tilting her head.

"Ah, what makes you say that?" Haus asked as he, too, leaned back.

"You are a medical doctor, Professor. I don't see how you could help very much..." Milla said with a shake of her head.

"How much do you know about the project, Milla?"

Milla took a moment to think as she placed a hand on her hip and looked up in thought. "Well...I was told to guard a weapon, but I wasn't told what it does. As far as I know, it's really powerful. Again, I don't see how you fit in."

"There's a reason for everything, Milla. I'll find out eventually." Haus assured as he patted her shoulder. "Well, I must be off. I can't be late now, can I?"

"Of course, not. I wish you luck, Professor." Milla said.

"Thank you, Milla. I'll see you in a few hours."

Milla didn't realize that that would be that last she would ever hear from him again.

._._._._._.

A white magic circle formed beneath Jude as he landed atop of the water. He couldn't help but feel a bit guilty as the winds around him settled down. He should've actually told Ivar where he was going instead of leaving like that. Jude paused for a moment when he remembered Ivar's head strong personality. He didn't even doubt that Ivar wouldn't stay in place for very long. He sighed and shook his head. He could think about Ivar later.

"Is this the place?" Jude asked as he looked around. Sylph was quick to make sure Jude stayed above the water. The whole area was already dark, even though it was only a little past noon. Tree like lamps flickered around him and eventually gave out. Jude frowned at the lack of spirits around the area. "It's to empty."

 _ **"A great number of spirits died near this building."**_ Efreet said.

Jude nodded and subconsciously gripped his right hand on his left wrist as he eyed for a way in. If he could just manage to get in, then maybe he could find the source of the problem... and may be get back before Ivar goes after him. He spotted a water drain just down the waterway ahead and hurried over to it. He touched the cold metal bars before stepping away and holding up a hand.

"Efreet." he muttered as he summoned Efreet's power. A surge of heat rushed through him as he focused on the gate. A ball of fire launched from his hand and into the metal bars, efficiently obliterating it. Jude dropped his hand and looked to the side, presumably to Efreet. "You didn't have to destroy it..."

 _ **"Sorry, got a bit excited."**_ Efreet answered as he shrugged his shoulder. Sylph snickered above Jude.

 _ **"He's just happy he finally gets to do something more important than lighting bon fires, Maxwell."**_ she said.

 _ **"At least he gets to do something while I still water plants."**_ Undine said with a pout. Jude sighed and shook his head.

"Hey, I do let you guys do what you want. You make it sound like I'm using you for menial tasks. Which, for the record, I did not ask you guys to do in the first place." he said. He heard Gnome laugh a little before moving to enter to waterways.

"Who are you talking to?" said a woman's voice behind him. Jude spun on his heel and saw a blonde haired woman looking right at him with a slight frown. He was surprised that the woman was actually standing on one of the little circle platforms Sylph and Undine created. Did he forget to dismiss it? It wouldn't be the first time...

"Ah...my guardians...?" Jude said, not sure what to call the Four Great Spirits. He could hear Gnome and Sylph laughing a little at his response and Efreet grunting behind him.

The woman raised an eyebrow before narrowing her red eyes. "Never mind that, what are you doing here? I could arrest you from blowing out the water drain, but I'm considering it now since you are a child."

"I'm fifteen." Jude answered automatically. His eyes widened when it finally registered what he said. "I-I mean, I'm not a child."

The woman looked at him disbelievingly. "Right. I'm starting to doubt that."

"Please believe me." Jude said.

"You should go home. This is no place for you to be." the woman said as she stepped toward Jude. "I don't want to arrest you."

"Wait! I can't go home yet." Jude said as he shook his head. "There's something here that I must do, whether you approve it or not. I will not let anyone stop me from my mission."

"Hey, I got a mission to complete here, too, which means I have to make you leave this area." the woman said, her hand griping the hilt of her sword by her side.

 _ **"Stubborn, isn't she?"**_ Undine said as Jude sighed.

"Yeah, no kidding." he breathed under his breath. Jude took a second to collect himself (not that he really needed to) and raised his hand. "Then you leave me no choice."

He flicked his wrist and waved his fingers dismissively.

"What--!" Before the woman even realized it, the circle below her vanished. Gravity took her swiftly, realization dawning on her as time seemingly slowed for her. She let out a surprised cry as she fell into the cold, deep water. Jude didn't hide the flinch he had when she went under, and felt relieved when she resurfaced a few seconds later. "You--!"

"I'm sorry!" Jude quickly cut her off with a quick, apologetic bow of his head. He turned on his heel and climbed into the water drain.

"H-Hey!!" the woman cried with a splash from her arm reaching toward Jude. "Come back here! Security is going to catch you!"

Jude only spared her a glance before Efreet floated in her line of sight.

 _ **"Jude, we should hurry. You can worry about the human later. She's strong."**_ the Fire Spirit assured. Jude still seemed a bit reluctant, but Sylph gave him a bit of a nudg, silently urging him to keep going. One glance at Gnome and Undine told him all he need. Hesitantly, he nodded and began at a light jog, heading deeper into the water drain.

For some odd reason, he couldn't help but feel like he would see the woman again. Jude immediately took the hunch and trusted it, taking Efreet's words into account. He kept his eyes forward and steeled his determination. He had a mission to complete and he was not about to let anyone stop him. That woman would be just fine. After all, she did look like she could handle herself.

A small smile graced Jude's lips as he turned a corner. "I'll see her again for sure."


	2. The Maniac and The Murderer of Humans and Spirits

Chapter 2: The Maniac and The Murderer of Humans and Spirits.

Milla cursed as she pulled herself out of the water. She was soaked to the bone and her hair felt ridiculously heavy, considering how long it was.

"Ugh! I should've cut my hair..." she complained as she wrung it out. Water splattered to the ground, creating a bigger puddle that leaked back into the water way. If she didn't tie it up, her wet hair would hinder her movements. Sighing, she dug a hair clip from her pocket and gathered all of her hair together to clip it up. Once the clip was secure, she tugged at her soaking uniform with a frown.

"At least it's not as bad as getting rid of monsters. I'd rather be dunked in water any day..." she muttered as she stripped the boring uniform off. Underneath, she was already wearing her casual clothes; a light pink top that stopped at her midriff, a simple light green, short-sleeved jacket, a pair of light brown gloves reaching to her elbows, a skirt that matched her top (and surprisingly easy to move in), and brown boots that passed her knees. They weren't dry for sure, but she knew she could speed up the process if she got rid of the ridiculous uniform. She sighed as she re-strapped her sword to her side.

"Milla!" Called a voice on the other side. She looked up to see another soldier with a spear. If he wasn't wearing a helmet, she wouldn't be able to recognize them. Luckily, she recognized the voice. It was her teammate. "I heard an explosion, what happened?!"

"Marc! Tell the others to be on a look out for an intruder! Someone broken in through here." she called out. She left out the fact that it was actually a child that broke in. "I'll cover this area!"

"Right, thanks, Milla!" Marc responded as he hurried back to the entrance. Milla took a moment to watch him before heading into the water drain.

Not even a few minutes later, she came to a sudden stop. A Rashugal soldier was slumped against the wall with his spear not too far from him. Milla didn't recognize him, but she went over to him and checked his pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a faint beat.

"Hey, you alright?" Milla asked as she shook the man's shoulder. She only received a groan as and answer. Grimacing, she stood up, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get much of an answer out of him. She took note of the faint burn mark on the soldier's uniform, easily telling her who did it. "No way...don't tell me that child did this..."

Shaking her head, she quickly hurried down the hall. If that child really did do this then they were in serious trouble. It was apparent that he was good in Spirit Artes. He was able to knock out a soldier without killing him with that much fire, and that made it strange to her. Why didn't he kill the soldier? Heck, the boy didn't look any older than thirteen and yet he could control his Arte to such a degree...!

Milla wasted no time as she made her way to the main building. She didn't bother to stop for any of the fallen soldiers, already knowing that the boy didn't kill them. She reached a ladder and calmly made her way into the main building. When she popped her head out of the hole, she didn't see the boy anywhere. In fact, it was like there was no trace of him at all. There was no water on the golden floors or...anything.

...Or the boy didn't get here yet.

"Lowell? What are you doing over there?" asked a nearby voice. Milla pulled herself up and spotted the owner of the voice on the second floor.

"Have you seen someone unusual pass by?" Milla asked, placing a hand on her hip. The soldier above her shook his armored head.

"No, but I got the message from a member of your team that someone got in. All of us are on high alert." he said. "What happened to your uniform?"

"I took an early shower." was her only answer as she resumed her duty to patrol the enormous hall. If the boy didn't arrive here yet, then she would be prepared to meet him....and hopefully get him out before he gets caught for trespassing. Milla kept her hand on her sword as she passed by a few other soldiers guarding the area. She didn't particularly have one place she had to patrol, so she decided to guard the second floor, just to keep herself moving. She was still a bit damp, so movement was good for her. It would help her to not catch a cold, if anything.

"Hmm...?" Milla hummed a little when she saw a red figure enter through a door at the other side of the second floor. She looked around to see if anyone else caught that, but they were all facing the other direction. For a moment there, she couldn't help but think that they were a bit dumb not to have noticed red figure. Rolling her eyes, she decided to go and follow the woman.

When she entered the room, she noticed how it was dark and only tubes with some sort of glowing green liquid gave a bit of light. She walked cautiously and looked around.

"Now, where did that woman go...?" Milla muttered as she drew her sword. She only took a few steps until something caught her eye in one of the tubes. Something rather—no, awfully familiar. A gasp escaped her when it dawned on her.

"Professor Haus!" she exclaimed as she lowered her sword and placed her hand over the older man's. "What's wrong?! Professor!!"

She could her his gasps as his lips mouthed words. Without a problem, Milla easily read them.

_"Please! Help me! I can't hold on much longer! I—I don't have any more mana! Please! Hel—!"_

Milla stumbled back as the professor's eyes suddenly rolled back before he could finish. Suddenly, he went limp and dissolved in the tube. Milla didn't even have the time to gasp as the lights suddenly turned on, lighting up the entire room. Now that they were on, she could clearly see what was in each of the tubes. A human, mostly an adult of any gender, was floating inside. A few were empty, but Milla just knew that there were humans in there!

"No... I can't possibly be guarding...this." Milla gasped as she felt her eyes widen in horror. Those people were from the Medical School! Maybe even students or teachers! Heck, even doctors!

"Like what you see?" said a woman's confident voice. Milla snapped her head in the direction of the woman. She immediately recognized her as the red figure she saw enter this room just earlier. The woman turned away from the screen and looked down at Milla. Her movements were a bit off. Wait, no, scratch that. She moved as if she had fifty shots of alcohol. Plus, the look on her face just made Milla believe it even more.

Milla raised her sword and brought up her guard as she glared at the other woman. "Who are you!? What did you do to Professor Haus!?"

The woman drunkenly placed her hands on the railing at sneered at Milla. "Hmph. Your expression sucks."

She pushed herself away from the railing and grabbed her weapon. Milla couldn't help but feel a bit surprised when that woman pulled out an abnormally large sword out of no where, and even more surprised that she could...carry it in her drunken state.

"I'll make you change that expression!" the woman declared. Milla was prepared as the woman leapt off the railing and swung her huge sword downward. The Rashugal soldier quickly leapt out of the way as the sword slammed into the floor with enough force to break it. Milla slashed at the woman and leapt back to gain more distance. The other woman laughed hysterically as she yanked her sword out of the floor and began to swing wildly. Milla either blocked or dogged each swing with practiced ease. She couldn't help but notice that the woman's wild swings weren't as wild as she thought. In fact, they were well-placed with just brute strength behind it. Milla was aware of the absent smell of alcohol. It lead her to wonder if this woman was high on drugs or she naturally this way.

A normal person would find it ridiculous, but after being in the army for nearly four years, Milla learned that it was not so rare for a person to be insane...

"AHAHAHAHA! I'm going to kill you!" the woman laughed, happily.

...But then again, this just had to take the cake. This woman was crazier than anyone Milla meet in her entire twenty years of life!

They traded blows, neither giving way for the other. It was about fifteen seconds later when Milla found her chance. The woman staggered a bit when Milla struck her sword upward, causing her to stumble backward with the weight of her heavy sword. Milla rushed in and slashed her horizontally. Right before her blade could cut the woman a blast of fire blew them apart. Or rather, a blast of fire smacked into the woman and threw her into the wall, disorienting her.

Milla, on the other hand was blown back by the force. She caught herself and did a flip in the air, landing gracefully on the metal floor. She turned to see the same boy standing before the now closing door and his hand outstretched.

"You!" Milla addressed, half surprised that he blasted the other woman. He didn't seem to acknowledge her as he walked right past her and stand before a tube with a blank expression. He was about to place his hand on the glass when the crazy woman swayed to her feet.

"I'll rip that stupid innocent look off your face, you tiny brat!" she threatened. The boy blinked in surprise, as if snapping out of his reverie, and faced her with a frown.

"I'm not a 'tiny brat'..." he said, sounding very dejected. He raised his fists, as if anticipating a fight. Milla blinked in slight awe when she saw his gaze harden into one of determination. He glanced at her and she nodded, knowing what to do. She readied her sword once again.

The crazed woman laughed as she grabbed her swords. "A brat and a soldier against me? Ha! I'll kill you like a rat, boy!"

._._._._._.

"We'll see about that!" Jude said as he rushed forward.

 _ **"Jude, don't be reckless!"**_ warned Gnome.

"I won't! Just focus on holding back!" Jude said.

"Who the hell are you?!" the white-haired woman cried as Jude blocked her slash with a quick block with his arm. He felt the impact of the blade hitting his armored glove underneath his sleeve. Silently, he reminded himself to thank Ivar later for choosing what type of gloves he should wear.

"I see no reason to tell you!" he told her. Jude shoved the sword back and gave the crazy woman a kick to the ribs to force her back.

"Like hell!!" she grunted out.

He used his momentum to gain some distance between them as the Rashugal soldier rushed in and delivered attack of her own. Jude raised a hand and focused on one of the spirits. His hand glowed blue as a magic circle formed. He didn't have to glance at Undine as he narrowed his eyes. "Undine!"

_**"Right!"** _

Undine made herself appear and summoned her waters. She shot a ray of water at the crazed woman, knocking her back and giving the Rashugal soldier an advantage. Undine disappeared as soon as Jude dismissed her with a quick thank you. The soldier was quick to disable their enemy and glanced at Jude. He nodded and focused on a different spirit, his hand glowing red. Egret's circle formed below him and he threw his arm away from his body.

"Efreet!" Jude cried. Efreet volleyed a ball of flaming fire and it hit the crazed woman right where Jude wanted him to. The crazed woman cried out as she fell unconscious, knocked out by the powerful blow. Satisfied, the Rashugal soldier sheathed her sword and stared at Jude, then at the still very visible Efreet. Her magenta eyes were wide with awe.

"Is that...Efreet?" she asked, hardly believing it. Jude nodded and smiled a little as Efreet roared victoriously.

"Yes. This is Efreet, the Lord of Fire." Jude said as he dismissed Efreet with a flick of his hand.

 _ **"Too easy, Maxwell."**_ Efreet said as he returned to his place behind Jude. Sylph rolled her eyes.

"Of course it is. That woman was just a small fry." she said. Jude huffed a small sigh as he looked over to the Rashugal soldier.

"Although....he can be a bit hot-headed."

**_"Hey!"_ **

"I should be arresting you but..." she trailed off and looked at the others still trapped in the tube. After seeing what she had, she began to question her duty. Was she really protecting something that could help protect her own people? Or was she just protecting something that was killing them? Professor Haus didn't deserve to die like that! He was good professor, a great doctor! Why use a person that was vital in the medical research?

Jude noticed her inner turmoil and did nothing to help her think. Instead he walked over to one of the tubes and placed a hand on the glass. It felt unnaturally warm underneath, and he could feel unnaturally high amounts of mana that was completely unhealthy for a human; or a spirit for that matter.

"Is this the work of a spyrix?" Jude asked.

"A what?" the Rashugal soldier asked, snapping out of her thoughts. Jude didn't hear her as he took a step back and dropped his hand.

"It feels like a hint to why all those lesser spirits died..." he said, still looking up at the person locked inside.

 _ **"It's a big possibility, Jude."**_ Undine said as she placed a hand on Jude's shoulder, already feeling his anxiety. _**"But let's not stress over it too much, now. Just a little is fine."**_

Jude frowned, but nodded, accepting Undine's advice. "You're right. I'll just keep that in mind."

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" Milla asked. "Spirits dying?"

Jude finally faced her and tilted his head. "Uhm...You know your way around this place, right?"

The Rashugal soldier raised her eyebrow. "Yeah...Don't tell me you're going to ask me to be your escort."

Jude didn't answer her immediately when he took a glance at the fallen, crazed woman. His eyes caught sight of a red card. He went over and picked up the card.

"Well, the spyrix has to be here somewhere...I need to find it." he said as he looked over the card, turning it over in his hands.

"You're seriously going to ask me? I'm a guard here, and I'm supposed to report any suspicious activity, you know. That includes wandering children." the soldier said, placing a hand on her hip and sifting her weight onto one leg. Jude looked at her with a bit of irritation.

"I'll have you know, I'm not some child." he said. "If you won't help me, then I'll go by myself."

"You'd get caught." the soldier warned.

"It's worth a shot." Jude said, staring at her. She stared at him for a long moment before dropping her shoulders in defeat with a frustrated sigh.

"Ugh. Fine. I'll guide you around." the soldier said. Jude was about to thank her, until she raised a hand up. "Since this is considered as treason, I'm going to considered as a rogue soldier..."

"R-right..." Jude said, nodding without even understanding. "So..."

"But...I'll take the chance." she finalized. "I want to get to the bottom of this."

"Why?" Jude couldn't help but ask. She paused for a moment before looking at an empty tube.

"I had a friend in one of these tubes, but he died right in front of me. I want to know what exactly is going on." she said, turning heel and heading to the door.

"I see. Revenge for a friend?" Jude asked. He remembered reading a story of a person who sought revenge for the death of a dear friend, and he couldn't help but think the former Rashugal soldier would do the same.

She didn't even pause as she opened the door and peeked outside. "Well...somewhat."

Jude only nodded in understanding and allowed her to give him a signal that it was clear. A few seconds later, she gestured him to follow her as she stepped out.

"So...what's your name?" Jude asked as he jogged a little to catch up with the former Rashugal soldier.

"I'm Milla Lowell." the woman answered. The Lord of Spirits paused for a moment as a he blinked.

"Lowell...? I think I heard that name from somewhere..." he muttered. He shook his head and hurried after Milla as she kept walking.

"Well, the Lowell name came from a very skilled swordsman. It was said that he was a member of a guild." Milla said, elaborating a little. Jude hummed in slight awe. The swordswoman looked over her shoulder to look at Jude with curiosity. "What's your name?"

"Ah, I'm Jude." Jude said as he stopped for a moment. He held out a hand for her to shake. "Jude Maxwell."

"Maxwell?" Milla questioned as she shook his offered hand. "As in, **_The_ ** Maxwell?"

"The Maxwell?" Jude echoed as they released their hands. His head was titled in confusion. Milla took one look at him as if she was debating something. A few seconds later, she shook her head began to lead the way again.

"Never mind. Come on. We don't want to get caught."

._._._._._.

**Skit: Ansilum**

**Milla: *Looking Thoughtful* I swear, there was something seriously wrong with that woman back there.**

**Jude: *Tilts head* You mean the crazy woman?**

**Milla: Yeah, her... I thought she was drunk, but I guess I was wrong.**

**Jude: Drunk?**

**Milla: It happens when a person drinks too much alcohol. Shouldn't you know this?**

**Jude: No, I do. I just thought she was crazy. You know like those people who go to the...the... An—ansi—ansylin.**

**Milla: ...Do you mean Asylum?**

**Jude: Ah, is that how you say it?**

**Milla: ...I'm pretty sure it is.**

**Jude: ...Ansilum.**

**Milla: Asylum.**

**Jude: Ansilum.**

**Milla: You— *sigh* Never mind. I tried.**

._._._._._.

Milla was a bit shocked that the pair didn't run into any guards. She had a feeling it was because they didn't recognize Jude as an intruder. In fact, one of the researcher thought that she was escorting one of their various "test subjects". Hence why they managed to get to Laboratory 04 without incident. The sounds of rushing water met Jude's ears as he looked up at the enormous cannon in the center of a spacious, circular room. He stood blankly as he pointed at it.

"That's it." he said, loud enough for Milla to hear over the rushing water. "That's what's killing them. That's a spyrix weapon!"

Milla placed a hand on her hip and looked thoughtful. "This weapon I was guarding is a spyrix?"

Jude looked at her with confusion. "You didn't know? I though that if you were a guard, they would at least tell you what the weapon is."

"No, I didn't." Milla said as she shook her head and headed to the computer below the cannon. "They only told us to guard the weapon."

Jude stood back and looked around the area as Milla typed something on the computer. A few seconds later, Milla frowned. "The Lance of Kresnik? If I remember correctly, that's from the Genesis Age..."

Sounds of light made itself known behind her and she turned to look. Jude was standing not too far away as he summoned a ball of light. His honey eyes were set as he moved his hands vertically and horizontally, creating a magic circle with four points. Milla's eyes widened as it finally dawned on her.

That child really was Maxwell.

"Irony at its finest. Naming a weapon after a Kresnik." he muttered. He raised his voice as the light of his Artes grew brighter. "Everyone! We must destroy it! This device that harms both human and spirits must go!"

Milla watched in awe as four circles of different colors appeared around him, and along with it, further proof that he was Maxwell. The Four Great Spirits flew up to the machine and created an even larger circle above the weapon. Jude seemed to be struggling a bit, but he kept his stance firm and eyes determined, despite the fact that his arms were trembling.

Milla heard a slight slap against something and caught sight of the crazed (Milla still questioned if she was intoxicated or insane) pressing a button. The weapon began to hum as she pointed a finger at Jude.

"Oh, now you're really making me angry, you stupid brat!" she snapped. Milla stepped in between Jude and the woman and unsheathed her sword.

"You again!" Milla said, "What are you doing?!"

Jude held the Arte but still looked up to see the white-haired woman practically attack the control panel above. Both Jude and Milla looked up at the Great Spirits and the weapon. Just as the Arte progressed the cannon suddenly shifted open, as if waking up, and began to glow a bright yellow. Jude's eyes immediately caught the sight of an hourglass shape emerge from the computer below. He didn't get that chance to even question what is was when something snapped.

He cried out as the Great Spirits' power was suddenly broken. His Arte depleted not even a second later as the cannon began to suck in mana from the surrounding area. He could hardly breathe as his mana drained from him so suddenly.

"You...You idiot!" Jude managed as he shot a glare at the crazy woman. "This doesn't just effect us, but yourself, too!"

He didn't get an immediate answer as she began to laugh as if she was possessed by something. "If you suffer, then it's worth it! Ahaha! Ahahaha!"

She fell back, suddenly falling silence. Jude silently hoped she passed out as he fell to one knee.

"Ugh! Make it stop!" Milla cried, holding her head. Jude gritted his teeth as he searched for a way to end it. His eyes traced back to the floating hourglass figure at the base of the cannon. If he could just reach there—!

"This wasn't supposed to happen, but I know I can do this!" Jude gritted out. He began to force his body to move toward the item, knowing that it could be his only chance.

"What are you doing?! It's dangerous!" Milla cried. She willed her body to move and it obeyed her with difficulty. If Jude was going to stop it, she might as well help. Even if she could barely move. She saw Jude take another step and a purple circle formed underneath him. Milla was about to inform him, but Jude already noticed as he looked over his shoulder.

"Don't move! You'll get dragged into it!" he snapped, his eyes narrowed with seriousness. Milla was taken aback at the expression. Not once had he actually had that look on his face since she met him, and it just seemed so out of place, yet, at the same time, demanding. Milla winced as another circle emerged from the ground and practically sealed her into place. Even the Four Great Spirits were not spared from it. She watched in frustration and worry as Jude forced himself to push on.

His hand was so close to the item that his fingers almost brushed it. Milla's legs slowly gave out on her just as Jude collapsed to knees. To her relief, his hand was clutched around the item he reached for. A sudden flash of warmth spread through her, making her look up.

The Great Spirits were all looking down at her as voices rang through her head.

_**"Milla Lowell, take Jude and get out of here!"** _

_**"We're not asking, we're telling you!"** _

_**"You must hurry!"** _

_**"He must not die."** _

"Take Jude and run...?" she muttered, making sure she got it right. They all nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Just what are you planning?"

She didn't get an answer as the Spirits suddenly changed into blurs of light. They were easily sucked right into the cannon a second later, causing a shockwave to expel from the center. Milla didn't have anything to hold onto as she practically flew in the air. She didn't miss Jude's pained cry that pierced the howling sounds of the weapon.

The Lance of Kresnik shifted back closed in a snap, sealing the Great Spirits inside. Jude was still hanging on to the item as if it was his lifeline. There was a moment of eerie silence as Jude pulled at the item. His arm strained as he used all of the strength he could muster, despite the weakness in his body.

His effort was rewarded when the item finally gave way, disconnected from the cannon. A pillar of light shot upward, as if something severed an important connection. Jude barely had the time to brace himself as another shockwave happened. He was thrown into the air like a rag doll, but he was quick to catch himself as he landed on the inward breaking bridge. Milla was dangling off the ridge as Jude slid down the other side. The item in his hand transformed into a disk, making it much easier to carry.

He wasted no time as he shoved it into his pants pocket and threw out a hand toward Milla. For a moment his Arte started up, but it dispelled before it could form Sylph's circle.

"Jude!" Milla cried as she reached a hand toward him. Unfortunately, before Jude could grab her hand, his side of the bridge collapsed. He didn't even scream as his honey golden eyes widened in fear. His hand just brushed hers when he fell.

Milla's heart froze for a split second when she recalled the last words the Spirits told her.

_**"He must not die."** _

With those words, she did what she felt she had to do.

She fell.


	3. The Escape From Fennmont

Chapter 3: The Escape From Fennmont

The waters were still for one moment before it started to move. If there was anyone looking, they would find it strange that small waves and bubbles were appearing in the middle of the surface. Not even a minute later, the water flew up in the air as a blonde haired woman burst out of the water.

Milla coughed and spluttered a bit as she yanked Jude to the surface. The Lord of Spirits gasped and flailed about in the water, coughing out the water in his lungs. They sloppily swam to a ledge.

"Come here," Milla said as she helped Jude climb up to the hard surface. After a bit of slipping and sliding, he finally made it and crumpled on the floor. Milla was worried for a second that he had passed out, but she could hear him trying to catch his breath. She pulled herself up with a bit difficultly and shook her head. Her hair was already falling out of her bun and thoroughly soaked again.

"You alright there, Jude?" Milla asked as she undid her hair and wrung it out again. The teen in question was starting to sit up with a worried smile.

"Y-yeah...I'm—I'm alright. J-just a bit cold..." he stammered as he rubbed his upper arms a bit. He was still dripping with water and Milla couldn't help but notice the tiny shiver in his body. She smirked a bit and patted Jude's head.

"You'll be alright." she assured him. Jude shakily stood up on his feet and began to brush any water off of him. The two took the moment to wrung out their clothes and hair, not wanting to catch a cold. Milla was a bit irritated that she got herself dumped in water, not once, but twice in one day.

"Thanks for helping me." Jude said after a few minutes. Surprisingly, his hair was already drying as the colors in his hair dulled a shade. "Swimming is certainly no easy feat."

"You never swam before?" Milla questioned as she gave up on her hair, letting it fall behind her.

"Undine was the one who helped me." he answered simply. Milla frowned as she looked over him again. If he wasn't wearing that coat, she was pretty sure that Jude was really thin. It seemed loose on him, yet at the same time, it was fitting. She placed a hand on her hip and finally processed his words.

"You mean...you really lost the power of the Great Spirits?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. Jude pressed his lips together as he nodded. "Then what's gonna happen now? You can't go back in there and destroy that weapon without their power."

Jude held his elbows as he looked to the side thoughtfully. "You make a good point..." He said as he turned around. He took a few steps to pace a bit while he spoke his thoughts. "Hmmm...There has to be something..."

Milla stepped back to give him some space to think, hoping that he would come up with an answer.

"Wait." Jude said as he stopped. He dropped his hands and looked up. "Maybe if I head back to Nia Khera..."

"Nia Khera?" Milla asked, prompting him to continue. He turned around and gave her a smile.

"If I go back, then I can probably summon Efreet, Undine, Sylph, and Gnome from there." he said. "Thanks for your help, Milla. I think I can handle things on my own from here on out."

"Huh?" Milla barely had the chance to say anything as Jude hurried past her. "Hey! Wait!"

She clicked her tongue in a slight frustration and ran after him. She was able to catch him right went they got to the pathways over the waterways. Milla grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Jude felt his eyes widen in surprise as he practically found himself stuck in place. He turned to see Milla narrowing her eyes at him.

"Ah, let me go!" he exclaimed.

"Jude! Do you have any idea where your going? You should go to—!" she began, but was cut off by a voice.

"Lowell!"

She instinctively pulled Jude close to her as she looked up to see a Rashugal soldier without his helmet running over to her. Jude began to protest in her grip, but she hushed him with a sharp glance of her magenta eyes.

"You caught the intruder?" The Rashugal soldier asked. Milla immediately recognized him with a twitching smile. The Rashugal soldier had dark brown hair and mature grey eyes, and in his hand was a long metal spear.

"Ah, no, I haven't, Fermin." Milla lied with a shake of her head, "I just happened to see someone fall into the water way."

"Someone...?" Fermin, her teammate, eyed Jude behind her and placed a hand on his hip, raising an eyebrow. "How'd he fall in...?"

"I—" *sneeze* "T—tripped." Jude said, backing up Milla's half-lie (he did nearly drown in the process). For some odd reason, he didn't want to actually lie, but the body language that Milla was giving him was practically telling him to play along...so he did.

"You should report him, Lowell. Just in case they think he's an intruder's accomplice." Fermin said, "Don't want to cause too much trouble, y'know?"

"Right, of course. I'll go and report him in a bit." Milla assured him. Fermin gave a smile to Jude and a nod to Milla.

"Okay, you do that. I need to circle around to the back entrance. You going in through the side entrance?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's closer that way." Milla answered.

"Alright. Oh, and, Lowell?" Fermin was giving her a look of caution. She couldn't help but notice how he seemed to be holding something back.

"Yes?"

"...Be careful." With that, the Rashugal soldier left them and continued on his way to the back entrance. Milla let out a sigh and released Jude as he rounded a corner.

"Oh, that was a close one." Jude muttered. He rubbed his upper arms and looked questionably to Milla. "Now...what were you saying...?"

"You need to leave. Now." Milla said, turning heel. She walked right past Jude and headed the opposite direction he was going. "Come on. There's not much time."

"Wait, you're coming with me?" Jude asked as scampered after her. Milla only spared him a glance as he caught up.

"Well, you don't seem like you know your way around here. There's police in the direction you were heading and I'm certain that news about the Lance would've reached the rest of the soldiers guarding the area. The best way to avoid them is head to the Seahaven." she said, "Although, it's very risky."

Jude nodded in understanding, putting his trust in Milla, despite having met her just an hour earlier. "Even if it's risky, I don't have much of a choice...plus, it's worth a shot."

._._._._._.

By the time Jude and Milla arrived at the Seahaven, the Lord of the Spirits couldn't help by gape at the sight. His honey golden eyes first caught sight of the huge ship at the dock, staring in awe of the sheer size. People were going about with their own business, not sparing them a glance as Milla led him to the ship.

"You said you need to go to where again?" Milla asked as a pair of kids ran past her. Jude opened him mouth to answer but a shout covered up his first syllable.

"You two! Stop!"

"Damn it!" Milla cursed as they were quickly surrounded by the Rashugal soldiers. Jude pressed his lips together into a frown and held his ground as the leader of the group approached them.

"Milla Lowell? You were the one they saw?" he said in disbelief. Milla's expression didn't change as she stood up a little straighter.

"Marc." she addressed, giving him a look. Milla knew that the news would spread, but not this quickly. She was a bit saddened that she had to be stopped by one of her own team members. Or rather, former teammates. "I wish we didn't have to meet like this again."

Marc couldn't answer for a moment, as if he was conflicted. He trusted Milla. He had been with her since day one of their training as soldiers for the army. She was a the one who always kept their group in check during missions, and the first to respond in dangerous situations. Out of a majority of all of the soldiers, she was the best they got. He trusted her with his life...and now, he was confused. He didn't know which to put first. His duty, or his friendship?

When he thought about it that way, he came to an immediate answer, one he was sure Milla would understand.

"...Milla Lowell, I have a warrant for your arrest...and one for him, too." Marc said, gesturing at Jude. Milla looked at Marc sharply.

"What?" she snapped, feeling a bit of anger well up in her. A warrant of arrest? For her, she could understand, but for Jude? He was just a child! Or more accurately, a teenager! Usually, those who are minors are taken to temporary confinement, but never arrest.

"You heard me, Milla." Marc said, his voice low and regretful.

"You can't seriously be arresting this child!" Milla cried angrily, clutching her fists in frustration. Jude looked he wanted to correct her, but he kept silent, knowing that now wasn't the time. One of the Rashugal soldiers stepped up with a look of regret on his face.

"Lowell, I don't want to arrest a kid, either, or you for that matter." he said. Then he sighed, "But we have a warrant for his arrest, whether you like it or not. If you hand him over quietly, you might get away with insubordination instead of treason against the King."

"Milla...!" Jude began, but trailed off when he noticed the former Rashugal soldier grit her teeth. "Milla?"

Milla narrowed her eyes dangerously as she drew her sword. She stood between the Rashugal soldier and Jude with conviction and raised her sword. Her voice was low and dangerous as she spoke, "So be it."

Marc cursed under his breath as he raised his spear. "Arrest them!"

There was a short moment of hesitance in the group and Milla took it as an opportunity. She launched herself to the closest soldier and slashed at them. She may have worked with them before, but it wouldn't stop her from attacking them.

Jude blinked in surprise as she attacked, easily taking someone down. He took note of someone starting an Arte, aiming for Milla. Feeling a small trace of a water spirit nearby, he raised his hands.

"Heed my call, spirit of water." He spoke as a bit of light began to emit from him. "Lend me your power to stop those who harm us!"

Without warning, a blast of water hit the Rashugal soldier before he could finish his own Arte. He mentally thanked the spirit as it lingered for a little bit before disappearing. Jude sensed someone approaching him from behind and reacted quickly. He delivered a spinning kick to the legs, efficiently tripping the person over. Even though it was successful, Jude noted that his aim was off. He was actually trying to hit the ribs and not the legs...

He didn't have time to ponder over that as another soldier appeared before him. Jude went for a punch, but his posture was off, making him trip.

"What?!" he cried as he fell to the ground. Jude wasn't fast enough to get up as hands grabbed his arms and pulled him up. "No! Get off me!"

He struggled against their grip, but it only made them tightened their hold.

"We got him!" said his captor. Jude couldn't voice his distress as someone clasped a gloved hand around him mouth. He grimaced and felt himself getting lifted. He instinctively flailed his legs around in vain attempt to get them off. "Holy crap, he's light!"

Jude spotted Milla knocking out her teammate with a swift smack from the hilt of her sword. Her eyes widened in panic when she caught sight of him. "Jude!"

Milla was about to run over there, but stopped when she spotted someone waltz up to the Rashugal soldier from behind. The man's dark brown hair was brushed back except a few strands. He wore a brown coat that had tan designs over a white shirt. Tied around his neck was a black scarf with an orange edge to it. He also wore black pants and white and brown boots that stopped right underneath his knee. Strapped to his back was a wide sword with a black blade and yellow edges.

He casually tapped the Rashugal soldier's shoulder for attention. The moment the soldier turned his head, the man punched him square in the face. Jude fell out of the knocked-out soldier's arms and scrambled to get up.

Milla couldn't help the flood of relief as Jude took several steps away from his rescuer. Jude shared a look of confusion as the ship's horn blew.

"Hey, you guys heading out of here? 'Cause I suggest you better catch that boat." the man said as more Rashugal soldiers poured in.

"Jude, come with me!" Milla said as she grabbed his arm and sheathed her sword. Jude stumbled for a second before catching himself and matching Milla's pace. The man followed them after punching the closet one back. The three ran to the crates piled to one corner and leapt up.

"Jump!" Milla told Jude as he got to the top first. He didn't need to be told twice as he gracefully jumped off the crate. She was amazed that he cleared the distance with a smooth landing, despite his small figure. Once he made it to the deck, Milla breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he made it, then it wouldn't matter if she got cau—!

Milla jolted when she felt an arm grab her arm. She felt her eyes widen as time seemed to slow and the man pulled her toward the edge of the crate.

"I don't think you want to die just yet." the man said with a smirk.

"W-what?!" Milla stammered. Instinctively, she jumped off the edge with the man pulling her with him. She didn't even scream as they soared high into the air, nor did she even think when she realized that they over leapt. The man pulled her in just before they crashed right into a pile of crates on board the ship. Shouts of surprise and panic lasted for a few seconds as passengers scattered out of the way.

"What's going on here?" asked a soldier. The man brushed himself off as quickly addressed the question.

"Nothing to worry about. The military was just practicing a drill or something. We were just getting out of the way." He lied. When the sailor still looked suspicious, the man gestured to Milla and Jude. "Oh, come on. Do you really think a tiny kid, a beautiful woman, and a dashing man like me would be causing any trouble?"

He shot Milla a wink. The former Rashugal soldier muttered her thanks as she got up too, dusting herself off.

"Are you guys okay...?" Jude asked hesitantly as he approached them. Milla looked over him and took note that he was perfectly fine.

"I'm alright." she assured. She looked over to the man who saved them from their plight.

"Uhm..." Jude started, but he was unsure what to call the man.

"The name's Alvin. I heard you're Milla, right? Milla Lowell?" Alvin said as he looked over to Milla.

"Yes, I am." Milla confirmed, placing a hand on her hip. She gestured to Jude, who politely smiled. "And this is Jude."

Alvin smiled as he patted a hand on Jude's shoulder. "Nice to meet you kid."

Jude was about to say something, but someone cut in before he could.

"Hey, the captain would like to see you." a sailor said. Milla regarded the sailor with a look.

"Right of course." she said. Alvin looked over to her.

"I'll come with you." he said. Jude tilted his head as Milla looked at him.

"Jude, wait here. It won't take long." she assured him.

"Okay," Jude said with a nod of his head. With one shared look with each other, the two grown-ups followed the surprisingly patient sailor. After a few feet, Alvin looked back to see Jude walking toward the railing before addressing Milla as they walked.

"I'll do the talking. You don't seem like you want too." he said. Milla's stride didn't falter as she closed her eyes for a brief second before opening them. Her magenta eyes were narrowed and filled with hints of distress.

"Yeah, you do that."

._._._._._.

Jude sighed as he leaned against the railing. His body felt heavy and he felt completely drained. He wasn't used to moving around without the Four's help. It certainly wasn't easy when he was so used to their guidance in fighting. He felt a bit lonely without the voices of the Four echoing around in his head. He already noticed the lack of luster in his hair and the slight ache in his arms. He did know that without the Four he was still strong in terms of strength, but his stamina was low.

But, despite knowing that, Jude was still determined to finish his mission. He started it, so he must complete it.

Nodding to himself, he straightened his posture and looked up at the dark sky. It was covered with grey clouds and it made Jude wonder if it was going to rain.

"You look like you've decided on something." came Milla's voice behind him. He turned around and spotted Milla placing a hand on her hip and Alvin greeting him with a short wave.

"Yes, I have." Jude said. He tilted his head in curiosity. "What did the captain say?"

"Well, he's upset, but he's kicking us off at Alahdi Seahaven. In return, we have to do a bit of work around here." Alvin said with an easy-going tone. Milla sighed.

"We didn't have any identification on us. I forgot about mine in my uniform. Talk about being forgetful..." she muttered the last bit to herself.

Jude nodded in understanding and looked at them with guilty eyes. "Sorry for getting you guys caught up into this mess..."

"Don't worry about it. I don't think I'd be fond working with Rashugal anymore." Milla said. Alvin gave her a look before looking up. Jude blinked as he felt something change and looked up at the sky.

"The spirit cline of Fennmont is disappearing," he said as the sky suddenly turned in to a beautiful blue. Alvin blinked and looked at him.

"How'd you know?" he asked him. Jude laughed a little.

"How could I not? I'm Maxwell." he said casually with a smile.

"What?" he said, hardly believing his eyes. Milla laughed at Alvin's expression as his eyebrow shot up to his hairline.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe that huh?" Milla said with amusement clear in her voice. Alvin looked back and forth between the two before shaking his head.

"Right, right. A kid like him is the Lord of all the Spirits. Like that's easy to believe." he said, throwing a hand up. Jude crossed his arms and turned away a little with a slight pout.

"Why does everyone call me kid?" his question went unanswered as Milla gave Alvin a look.

"Say, Alvin. Why did you rescue us? I don't see how this benefits you." Milla said, feeling a bit suspicious over his actions. Alvin looked at her and smirked.

"Well, cash, of course." he answered. Jude looked up at his answer and looked confused.

"Cash? How?" he asked. Alvin crossed his arms, not dropping the smirk.

"Simple." Alvin said, "I figured you guys must be in serious trouble if you got the army going after you. And looking at Milla here, who is—"

"—Was." Milla corrected. Alvin nodded his head and took the correction.

"Right, was a Rashugal soldier, getting caught would've easily lead to your deaths." Alvin said simply with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now that I've swung to your rescue and impressed you with my skills, I can change you for your services."

"Charge us? In case you didn't know, living a life of a soldier is hard enough to get by." Milla deadpanned. "Unless you'd take fifty gald."

"Fifty gald?! That's it?" Alvin half exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I don't have any glad on me." Jude said as he raised his hand.

"Seriously? I don't just take cash, you know! Don't you have jewelry? Precious metals? Or a rich relative about to croak?" he asked with a weak wink.

"No...I don't." Milla said with a sigh. "My family isn't very rich."

"I don't have anything to give you..." Jude said. He gave Alvin a look of curiosity. "Wait, are you a mercenary?"

"Heh! You're smarter than you look, kid." Alvin said as he ran a hand though his hair. " It's better than being a soldier. We don't have to follow orders, we pick our own hours, and we help people...for a price."

"Hmm....but since we don't have money, I guess you just helped up for free." Jude said as he looked thoughtful.

"Ah, well. It's a risk of trade. I'll just find a paying customer somewhere in Auj Oule." he said with a frown.

"Sorry about that." Jude apologized with a short bow of his head. For a Lord of Spirits, he was really polite.

"By the way...how did you know I was a Rashugal soldier?" Milla questioned. Alvin looked at her incredulously.

"You know, you have a reputation around Fennmont. The one of the best leaders and swordswoman the army ever had! Man, just thinking about, Rashugal is losing a good soldier." Alvin said. Jude hummed as he looked looked at Milla.

"Hey, once we reach the Seahaven, what are you going to do?" Jude asked her. Milla looked take aback by the question.

"Ah...I never thought about that." she said honestly. "But, I guess for now, I can accompany you. You seem like you need the help."

Jude hummed in understanding. "I can't deny that I need it. Thank you, Milla."

"No problem."

._._._._._.

**Skit: Good Work For Nothing**

**Alvin: *sigh* Man, that captain knows how to makes us work...I think we'd be dead before we even reach the Seahaven.**

**Milla: *disheveled * No kidding...Jude's lucky he doesn't have to deal with all the sea water flying in his face.**

**Jude: *downcast* Hey, it's not easy mopping the deck. It hurts whenever you slip...**

**Alvin: Ugh, all this charity work and not getting a single piece of gald...Are where there yet?**

**Jude: *Shrugs* I don't know. I haven't really been this far away from home before.**

**Milla: Come to think of it, what's home like, Jude?**

**Jude: ...Well, I like helping people around the village. Everyone is very kind.**

**Alvin: Well, aren't you pampered...**

**Jude: *Smiles* And Ivar always yells at me when he scolds me about it. At the end of the day, my ears hurt. *Smile falters a little***

**Milla and Alvin: ...! *Shocked***

**Milla: Jude...I don't think that's...ah, well...**

**Jude: Yes?**

**Alvin: You have serious house problems.**


	4. The Need For Gald

Jude stretched as he walked past the gates into Aladhi Seahaven. He was sore from all of the mopping he had to do, but he saw no reason to be very upset about it. At least it was fun running back and forth for a while.

"Next time, we're buying a ticket." Alvin said as he ran a hand through his hair. Milla nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, let's do that. I don't want to deal with an angry captain again..." She said. Jude was only half listening when he looked around the Seahaven.

"Sooo....where are we again?" he asked, grasping his left wrist with his right arm.

"We're in Aladhi Seahaven in Auj Oule, kid." Alvin said, patting Jude's head. The Lord of Spirits didn't really acknowledge him as something caught his eye.

"Ah! A map!" he said, excitement clear in his voice.

"Huh?"

Jude jogged out of Alvin's reach and stopped in front of a bulletin board with the map of Auj Oule. Milla couldn't help but smile at Jude's childish display of curiosity. He reminded her of herself when she was younger; always curious and excited with the simplest things. But...that was long before she joined the army. She felt a little jealous that Jude was completely fine even though he lost what defined him as Maxwell.

"Well, isn't he the curious one." Alvin said as he stepped up to Milla, keeping an eye on Jude.

"It's still hard to believe that a child as young as him is the Lord of Spirits." Milla said, placing a hand on her sword.

"Yeah, for sure... How old do you think he is?" Alvin asked, now looking at her. Milla blinked for a second before taking a look at Jude, who was tracing a finger over the map.

"Well... I'd say he's about... thirteen? Fourteen? I don't know. His personality makes it a bit hard to figure him out." she answered honestly. Alvin crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one leg.

"You got a point there. Still..." Alvin began, "What made you help him? I mean, you were willing to let them capture you and allow Jude to escape."

Milla stayed silent for a moment, unsure what to say. Why did she help Jude? She only tagging along with him because of what she had seen. A friend of hers died, and she couldn't do anything but watch. Even so, that wasn't much of a solid reason why she had helped him. In fact, she could've turned Jude in like she was ordered to and just fix things from the inside.

And yet, she didn't.

Instead, she lead him through the research faculty and discovered a secret she wasn't supposed to know. It was true that Milla was running away from her sentence, in a sense. Although, she couldn't help but think she was helping Jude for an entirely different reason.

After a long moment, Milla finally answered.

"I don't know. I just felt like I had to. Maybe it was his innocence that he gives. Or maybe it's his determination to keep going." she said, her hand's grip tightening on her sword. "I also feel that there's a reason...or something. I can't really say right now. I think it's just a beginning to something greater..."

"..Or something worse." Alvin said, "You're on the run because of him. Doesn't it make you feel bad for betraying your king?"

"Of course it does." Milla said, closing her eyes for a moment. A few seconds later, she opened them, looking right at him with a small smirk and a sparkle in her eye. "But, if you really know my family's history, then you should know that us Lowell's aren't very set on following laws."

._._._._._.

Jude looked over the map one more time before tracing his finger over the path once more, making sure he knew where he was going. It seemed like a short distance on the map, but in reality, he knew it would take him awhile without the Four's help. He bit his lip. Could he make it? He didn't want to make Milla come with him, but rather out of her own decision. He hated making people do things for him, and he wasn't about to start now.

"So, did you figure out where to go?" came Milla's voice. Jude turned around and gave her a nod.

"Yes. My shrine is north of here." he said. Milla looked confused for a second.

"Your shrine?" she asked. Jude only smiled as he nodded.

"Yes. My shrine." he said. Suddenly, something in Milla's head clicked.

"Ah. Right. I forgot." she said, mentally slapping herself. It was amazing how fast she was able to forget that Jude was Maxwell.

"You guys heading out?" Alvin asked. Jude nodded and bowed his head slightly.

"Yes, thank you for your help, Alvin. I really appreciated it." he said politely with a smile on his face. Alvin blinked for a moment before bursting out in laughter. Jude's look of confusion made Milla cough on her own laughter. He was so confused that he was at a loss of what to do.

"Ahahaha! Sorry, kid. It's not every day you meet a kid like you." Alvin said as he ruffled Jude's hair. With a small frown, Jude pushed away Alvin's hand and used his other hand to brush his hair back in place.

"Please don't that. That feels weird." Jude said bluntly. Milla shook her head as Alvin just shrugged and gave a not-so-sorry apology.

"So," Milla began. "Alvin, what are you going to do now?"

Alvin crossed his arms and looked thoughtful for a second before replying. "Well, I seriously need some money on me right now, so I'm going to see if there's any paying customers around here."

"I see." Milla said as she too looked thoughtful. "Hmm...Mind if I worked with you for a bit?"

"What? Wait, why?" Alvin asked, caught a bit off-guard by her question. Milla placed a hand on her hip and shifted her weight to one leg.

"I did say I have only fifty gald. It's hardly enough for anything except for a few gels." she said. Jude perked up.

"Oh! I wanna help." he said with a smile. Alvin took a look at them for a moment, glancing between Jude and Milla. Jude began to wonder if Alvin was about to say no until the mercenary opened his mouth.

"Well...I guess that's not a bad idea." he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Milla gave him a nod. "Thank you. I won't be a problem."

Alvin couldn't help but turn away, muttering under his breath, "Oh, I doubt, Lowell. I doubt it."

._._._._._.

The request was simple. Exterminate monsters contaminating a precious water hole and come back alive. To Jude, it was the perfect opportunity to practice his fighting skills. But once they engaged in battle, Alvin was quick to notice the lack of precision in Jude's punches and kicks and was nice enough to give him a few pointers. Even though Jude took the advice, his movements were still a bit off. Milla made a mental note to go and find someone who could actually teach Jude some hand-to-hand combat. Sure, she was a soldier, but she specialized in swordsmanship, not punching people.

"Hey, do any of you guys have a Lilium orb?" Alvin asked suddenly as they traveled up the Aladhi Trail. Milla stopped for a moment and looked at him.

"Of course. Any soldier is supposed to have them." she answered.

"A Lilium orb?" Jude asked, tilting his head in slight confusion.

Milla pulled hers out as she felt it began to glow a gentle pink and showed it to Jude. "It's this. Do you have one?"

Jude blinked when he recognized it. "Ah! That. I have one right here." he said as he pulled his out also. His glowed a soft blue as it neared Milla's. Alvin grinned as he pulled out his, too. It glowed orange in his hand.

"Oh, good. We could try linking together." he said.

"That's a good idea." Milla said with a nod.

Jude tilted his head as he held his orb close to himself. "Linking...?"

"It's where you can easily coordinate your attacks with your partner. You can sense what they're about to do and follow up with your own attack that supports them." Milla explained. "Here, we could try it out on that monster over there."

"Right." Jude responded with a nod. He didn't quite understand it, but he decided that it was better to just do it than asking about it. With a shared nod with Alvin, Milla went ahead and bothered the monster. Well, not really. Instead, the monster caught sight of Milla and charged right for her. Alvin patted Jude's shoulder and gave him a smile.

"Don't worry, it'll be easy," he assured him. "Just focus on your Lilium orb and Milla."

Jude nodded and stuck his orb back into his pocket as Alvin went over to help Milla. He didn't find it hard to focus on the orb and he could feel two distinct souls near him. He wasn't very used to focusing on human souls before, but it was a lot easier than focusing on spirit mana. He was quick to identify Alvin circling behind the prickly spider and Milla dodging to the right to avoid a jab toward her. Jude mentally reached out to her and felt her accept him. Instantly, Jude knew what Milla was about to do and threw out his hand. He knew that even without spirits, he could still perform Spirit Artes if he had enough mana.

Keeping that in mind, he gathered a bit of wind in his palm and willed it forward, an action he used for Sylph. Though the Great Spirit of Wind wasn't there, he felt a small wind spirit take her place and aided him. A gust of wind came rushing toward the prickly spider, following Milla's own attack perfectly. The spider crumpled to the ground with a cry before rolling on its back, signifying its death.

Milla sheathed her sword and gave Jude an impressed smile. "You're more skilled than the best caster in my team, Jude. And that's something."

"R-really? I'm still trying to get a hang of it, but it's still weird without Sylph or Undine..." Jude said, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. He couldn't help but imagine how Gnome or Efreet would be asking him to be using them next time. Though he was used to casting, he wanted to rely more on his own power... if only he wasn't so clumsy. "Although, I'd rather practice my close range fighting ability. I can't always rely on casting Artes like this without the Four."

"We'd help you, but we're not suited for hand-to-hand combat." Alvin said as he placed his sword back on his back. "Until you find someone to teach you, I think it's best for you to stick to casting. It's safer that way."

Milla nodded in agreement. "I know someone who could help, but now wouldn't be the best time to go to them."

"Ah, good point." Jude said, giving a short nod of understanding.

With that, they set off again, looking for the water hole and attacking monsters that came their way. Jude easily adjusted to linking with Milla and tried once with Alvin. For some odd reason, Jude found it a bit hard, yet strangely easy to link with Alvin (if that was even possible). It was almost as if Alvin's mana was sealed in a way. Jude decided to set that bit of worry aside in favor of getting their request done, and he was glad he did.

._._._._._.

**Skit: Debt**

**Alvin: So, Milla, how much do you get for being a soldier?**

**Milla: *Pondering* Well...it's enough to pay for my apartment, a week's worth of food, the necessities, and send some gald to my mother. On a normal basis, I end up having only less than a hundred gald after I get my monthly pay check.**

**Jude: *Tilts head* So, you're not getting paid enough?**

**Milla: Oh, I am. It's just that my mother needs it more than I do, so I tend to send her more than I should be giving her.**

**Jude: That doesn't sound like your sending "some gald"...**

**Alvin: Is your mother sick or something?**

**Milla: Oh, no. She's in debt.**

**Jude: What's debt?**

**Alvin: Seriously? How much?**

**Milla: *turns away with a pouting frown* You never ask a woman how much her mother owes.**

**Jude: Hey, what's debt?**

**Alvin: Oh, right. Where's my manners?**

**Milla: You had manners?**

**Jude: ...is no one going to answer my question...?**

._._._._._.

About half an hour later, they group managed to find the water hole, and along with it, was the monsters they were looking for. A pair of crab men and a merfish were strolling along the side of the water hole. They were lucky enough to catch the merfish of guard and kill it before it could do anything which Jude given the honor of doing. Jude casted a simple Fire Arte, effectively burning the monster to bits. Milla and Alvin took the advantage of the confusion Jude gave them and quickly headed for their own separate targets.

Jude stayed back and readied himself for another Arte incase it was needed. He quickly learned that Alvin and Milla were completely capable of handling it themselves, but Milla would purposely find a way to make Jude aid her. This time, the mercenary decided that it was his turn.

"Jude, it's heading your way!" Alvin said as he smacked his crab man toward the Lord of Spirits.

"I got it!" Jude took a step back and pulled a fist up, feeling a bit of wind back him up. Once the crab man was in range, Jude said the first thing that came to mind.

"Cerberus Strike!" For a moment, Jude's movements were precise for once. He punch forward with one fist and pushed with his other. He felt the crab man's shell crack under his knuckles before he gave a upward kick, tossing it into the air. The crab man flipped over and didn't have time to recover as Milla sliced it through, apparently done with her own target.

"You're getting better at this, Jude." Milla said as she sheathed her sword. Jude was grimacing and rubbing his leg to soothe the ache.

"T-thanks..." he muttered as he stood back up.

"Come on, kid! Let's go back and tell that lady that those monsters are gone." Alvin said as he began to throw an arm to Jude's shoulder. Out of pure habit, Jude swiftly dodged with ease, causing Alvin to lose his balance and scramble to stay up right. "Whoa!"

What they didn't expect was Jude to duck down and kick his leg out, tripping Alvin to his rear. Milla snickered at the scene as Jude suddenly realized what he did, standing up frantically.

"I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean it! I-it's a bad habit! I'm sorry!" he apologized frantically as he took several steps back.

"No, no! It's alright Jude. Damn, you can kick..." Alvin said as he picked himself up from the ground and dusted off his coat. Milla bursted out in laughter as she patted Jude's shoulder and gestured him to follow her.

"Oh, don't worry about Alvin, Jude. He doesn't have any 'manners' on how to treat a kid." Milla laughed. Jude looked doubtful, but at the same time, he was relieved that Alvin wasn't mad.

Alvin shook his head and raised his arms in defeat. "You got me there, Milla. You got me there..."

._._._._._.

"Oh, thank you so much!" said the lady as Alvin gave the report. He grinned and placed a hand on his hip.

"It's no problem, ma'am. If there's any problem, that's what mercenaries are for." Alvin said. Jude watched how Alvin interacted with the woman with slight interest as she gave Alvin a pouch of gald.

"So, that's how it works..." Jude muttered as Alvin walked put to them.

"Yup. Lots of people with problems and loots of gald to make it all go away." Alvin said simply. Jude nodded as Alvin began to head over to the inn. Milla turned to follow as Jude trailed behind.

"Being a mercenary isn't so bad, right, Mill-Ah~!" Jude's voice faltered as his knees gave out completely, making him faceplate the ground.

"Hm?" Milla heard a thump and turned around to see Jude lying on the ground. Her eyes widened in shock as she quickly hurried over to his side. "Hey? You okay?"

"...I can't get up. I don't have any strength." Jude said plainly, looking a little lost. Milla was confused until a loud grumble filled the air. He expression quickly changed.

"Ah. When was the last time you've eaten?" she asked as Alvin walked over to them. Jude looked like he was beyond confused.

"Uhm...Never...?"

"Never?" Alvin asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, I was never required to eat for what I needed. It was provided by Sylph and Undine." Jude answered. Alvin groaned and rubbed his face in dumb realization.

"Holy crap, he really IS Maxwell." he muttered to himself. Milla glanced at him.

"Has it finally dawned on you?" she asked.

"Shut up."

Jude slowly pushed himself up to sit on his knees with a light smile. "So, this is what humans feel when they're hungry. It feels weird..."

"Okay. That's it. You're eating. And that's final." Milla with clipped tone and moved to pick Jude up.

"We could stay at the inn for a night and grab a bite to eat there. I am a bit hungry to-" Alvin admitted, but stopping himself short at the sight before him. "Uh..."

Milla carried Jude in a bridal style and Alvin couldn't help but stare. Milla stared back.

"What?" she asked. Jude didn't seem to mind, mostly due to the fact that he was starving and...dense. Very dense.

"Nothing! Nothing...it's just..." Alvin said, shaking his head. A grown woman carrying a thirteen-year-old kid like that just seemed...a bit odd...or extremely odd. "You could've carried him on your back, you know."

._._._._._.

**Skit: Maxwell's Human Form**

**Milla: How exactly have you not eaten before?**

**Jude: Well... I think I did at one point, but Sylph never let me physically eat again.**

**Milla: Why?**

**Jude: Not sure really... You Humans must really need to take care of yourselves, huh?**

**Milla: I've been meaning to ask you, why do you talk that way? You make it sound as if you're not human yourself.**

**Jude: Well, technically I'm a spirit called Maxwell.**

**Milla: *raises an eyebrow* Hm?**

**Jude: ...in human form.**

**Milla: So, you take a form of a human boy?**

**Jude: ...Yes, and no. I could've been a girl.**

**Milla: *eyes wide* ...A-ah...**

**Jude: *Smiles* But, I'm a boy.**

**Milla: *sighs* Of course... Let's never bring up the fact that you could've been a girl. Never.**

**Jude: Huh? Why?**

**Milla: Just...just. Don't.**

._._._._._.

Alvin felt a bit awkward when he walked into the inn with Milla following him. Jude was cringing in her arms but opted to stay silent, even though he had a tiny smile on his face. Sighing, Alvin went up to the inn keeper and waved.

"Hi! Can I have three rooms, please?" Alvin asked. There was a loud grumble that captured the inn keeper's attention. Alvin smiled and jerked a thumb behind him. "Aaaaaaand some food for us."

It took a moment for the inn keeper to reply as he shook his head at the strange sight. "Ah, I'm sorry, but our cook isn't in right now. Is that boy alright? He looks quite ill."

He wasn't lying. Jude's skin was actually paler than it was before, and Milla was beginning to question if it was more than just his hunger. Milla sighed.

"May I borrow your kitchen, then?" she asked.

"Of course! Go right ahead." the inn keeper said. Milla nodded her thanks and looked at Alvin.

"Can you watch him, please?" she said, not really asking as she practically dumped Jude into Alvin's no so prepared arms.

"What the-!? A little warning would've been nice!" Alvin said as he tried to fix Jude in a better position.

"U-ugh...I n-never want to fe-el this again-n..." Jude muttered miserably. Alvin just shook his head and rolled his eyes, heading over to the dinning area to find a place to set Jude down.

After a good fifteen minutes, Jude was sitting at a table with freshly prepared food set on the table. He took one bite and immediately looked up at Milla. "Wow! This is really good! Human food is a lot better than I thought! Thanks, Milla!"

Milla couldn't help the small laugh as Jude dug in. "Just make sure you don't eat too fast."

"Okay!" Jude said around a full mouth.

"And don't take with your mouth full."

A swallow. "'Kay!"

"Whoa, this is actually really good." Alvin said as he took his fifth bite. Milla couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Living alone has its perks." she said as she started to eat her plate. After ten minutes, they had finished the simple, yet delicious meal. Of course, Jude was the first to finish, thanking Milla once again before completely falling asleep at the table, resting his head in his arms. His complexion returned to its usual paleness, leaving less things to worry about. Milla couldn't help but sigh a bit.

"He's a bit more of a handful than I thought." she said, leaning back in her chair. Alvin leaned back too as he crossed his arms and looked at Jude.

"I really don't get it. I know he's Maxwell, but I didn't know that the 'Lord of Spirits' was a human." he said, shaking his head a bit. Milla hummed softly as she thought.

"Well...he said that he was a spirit in a physical form, taking an appearance of a...boy." Milla said, pausing for a moment when she remembered her earlier talk with Jude. That was something she did not want to bring up with a man at the table. Especially a shady guy like Alvin.

"Hm...not just any spirit. The Lord of Spirits, Wielder of the Four Elements, the Eldest Spirit...Maxwell goes by many names." Alvin said, "And now we add Jude to that list? I can't really seem to understand how a thirteen-year-old kid could be Maxwell. I don't know how you're taking this whole thing."

Milla sat silently for a moment before answering, "I'll admit this is something hard to swallow, but...he had the four great spirits with him when he dumped me in the water."

"What? No...Get out of here!" Alvin said disbelievingly. Milla shrugged.

"But it's true. He had the fire-spirit Efreet, water-spirit Undine, earth-spirit Gnome, and wind-spirit Sylph. They were all with him." she said.

"I've heard stories about Maxwell while I was growing up, but this just proves most of it wrong." Alvin admitted. Milla placed her hands on the table and held them together.

"I heard about them too, and Jude here defies a vast majority of those stories...Although, what bothers me more is why a spirit would want to destroy something so desperately." she said.

"'Destroy something'? What are you talking about?" Alvin asked. Milla frowned as she kept her eyes on the table, recalling her encounter with the spyrix weapon.

"Before I met Jude, I was ordered to guard a certain weapon at the laboratory. He called it a spyrix, and said that it harms not only humans but spirits too. After experiencing what it could do, I can see why it harms both sides." she said, finally looking at Alvin.

"A device that harms spirits and humans...Looks like you got yourself stuck into some serious business here. A fugitive on the run with a kid. Sounds tough." Alvin said, shaking his head.

"Might I remind you that you're a wanted man, too? You did help us both escape." Milla said, cooly. Alvin pressed his lips together, silently cursing at his short moment of stupidity.

"...Point taken."


	5. The Village of Napples

"Good Morning, Alvin." Milla greeted as she walked into the lobby. Alvin looked up from his musing and waved a hand.

"Mornin', Milla. Had a good sleep?" He asked. Milla pulled a smile and place a hand on her hip.

"Well, it certainly felt nice to rest my body a bit, but," her smile dimmed as she looked away, "I couldn't help but worry about my teammates."

"Your teammates? The army split you into team or something?" Alvin questioned. He was well aware that the Rashugal army had a small faction that specialized in small missions. Milla was, without a doubt, part of it. Although, he didn't know that they were placed into groups.

"Yes. I was teamed with two other. The section I was assigned to mainly dealt with difficult monster exterminations and any inside jobs requested my the higher ups. In a way, it's like being a mercenary." Milla explained. "But, because of how skilled my team is, any time there is a war or battle to be fought, we'd be placed in the frontlines."

"The frontlines? Isn't that just sending you straight to your deaths? With a woman as skilled as you, one would think that they would use their best for last." Alvin said. Milla shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not particularly liked. In fact, everyone was a bit wary of me for reasons I do not know." she said.

"Huh. I guess you can't always be liked." Alvin said as he leaned back on the post. They slowly lapsed into silence as they waited for the Lord of Spirits, but half an hour later, he still did not show up.

"Where's the kid?" Alvin finally asked, uncrossing his arms and looking around the lobby. Milla did a sweep with her eyes to see if she could find the boy, but he was truly no where to be seen.

"Hm...I'll go check on him."

._._._._._.

The room was awfully silent as Jude slowly sat up. His head was heavy and it didn't even hit him that he was awake. In fact, one could say that he was still half asleep. He sat there for a long moment, staring straight ahead with half lidded eyes. He didn't even snap out of his daze when he heard a knock on his door.

"Jude?" called Milla's voice. "Jude, are you awake? Alvin and I have been waiting for you."

Jude stayed still as his eyes slipped closed and his body slacked a bit. Strangely, he still had no urge to do anything.

"I'm coming in." Milla announced. His door creaked open and he heard footsteps echo off the floor. It wasn't until he felt Milla's hand shaking his shoulder that he opened his eyes again.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked, noticing that Jude's eyes were unfocused. Concerned, she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, but still received no response. Milla pressed her lips together, feeling a bit of deja-vu. She knew she had to do this a lot with someone before. But who was it...?

"Ah." Milla suddenly figured out what was wrong with the Lord of Spirits. She sighed as she heard a set of footsteps enter the room.

"What's taking you guys so long?" Alvin asked as he looked over to Jude. Milla began to move the covers away from Jude as she answered.

"It seems that he has low blood pressure or something."

"Low blood pressure? You have got to be kidding me. He's the Lord of Spirits of all things! He just  _can't have_  low blood pressure." Alvin said, grabbing Jude's white coat. All of a sudden, Jude blinked. The adults watched in slight surprise as he began to officially wake up. His eyes slowly came into focus and his movements were still a bit awkward. He groaned tiredly and finally moved his head to the side.

"M-morning...?" Jude muttered, reaching up to rub his eye.

"Good Morning, Jude." Milla returned with a small smile. "You alright?"

"How long was I just sitting here...?" Jude asked, getting a feeling that he was supposed to be up earlier.

"A few minutes, I think." Alvin said. "You think you're up to travel today?"

Jude stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding. "Y-yeah, just...just give me a moment..."

"I take it it's your first time sleeping." Milla said as she got up. Jude actually frowned as he slowly place his bare feet on the cold floor and winced.

"A-actually, it's not. This human form of mine is a bit...difficult to handle. Normally, Efreet and Gnome are the ones who keep me 'well-balanced' in the morning. Sylph and Undine sustain me through the day." Jude explained. Milla looked at him in confusion and shared a look with Alvin.

"So, your human form is a weak?" Alvin asked as he handed Jude his boots. The Lord of Spirits grimaced as he finally got moving.

"Well, yes and no. I'm still strong, it's just the morning that is hard to handle. I'm not as weak as one would think without the Four to support me, Alvin." Jude said, putting on his boots. He stood up and stretched, reaching on the nightstand to slip on his pair of gloves, "I just need to adjust."

"Well, you're probably gonna have to adjust quickly, if we're on the move. It won't be long until Military Powers Act comes knowing on your door," Alvin said as he gave Jude's coat to him. Milla hummed in agreement as Jude shrugging his coat and fixed a strap with ease.

"Then we should get going to avoid getting caught right?" he asked, finally all set. Milla placed a hand on her hip.

"Yes, but first, we need a set plan." she said.

"Of course...Well, I'm thinking that if I go home, them I may be able to re-summon the Four. I want to do that as soon as possible." Jude said holding his left wrist in his hand, a habit he seemed to have.

"And where's that?" Alvin asked, shifting his weight to one leg.

"North of here. It only takes less than half a day's flight time...if we had Sylph." Jude added sheepishly. Alvin shared a glance with Milla before heaving a sigh.

"Riiiight. Guess we just have to go the old fashion way. Walking." he said, running hand through his hair. "I hope we can find a place to rest along the way."

Milla perked up a bit. "Oh, I did see a village on the map up north. We can stop by there."

"Either way, we need to go now." Jude said. With a nod from Alvin, Jude began to head out the door. "We need to press forward!"

Milla shared a look with Alvin.

"You think he's gonna last?" Alvin asked.

Milla huffed in amusement and flashed him a smile before following Jude out the door. "With his energy, we might be the ones falling behind."

Milla took the time to buy a few things from the inn's store, making sure to buy a bit of food in case anyone got hungry...Oh! And let's not forget about those apple gels...!

Within twenty minutes, the group of three set off to Nia Khera. Jude barely fought and mostly kept to casting Artes. As much as he would've love to practice his martial ability, Alvin and Milla advised him to not do so until he actually knew what he was doing. Seeing how they had a point, Jude followed their advice. He knew for a fact that he still needed time to just adjust being a spirit in human form...without the Four. He didn't realize how taxing it would actually be.

._._._._._.

**Skit: The Four**

**Jude: ...**

**Milla: Are you alright, Jude?**

**Jude: ...Uhm, yeah...I think so. Who knew that walking can be so...tiring.**

**Alvin: Hah, you act like you never walked in your life before.**

**Jude: Well. I haven't really.**

**Milla and Alvin: What?!**

**Jude: *Bounces a bit* Well, yeah. I'm used to Sylph flying me to where I needed to go. I only started to walk on my own when I lost the Four.**

**Alvin: Geez, kid. Maybe you should stop treating the Four Great Spirits like your personal servants.**

**Jude: My personal- Oh, no, you got the wrong idea. As much as I hate to admit it, they're the ones who constantly, what's the word...? Ah! 'Nag' over me. *Shakes head***

**Milla: 'Nag'? Geez... what are the Four like, Jude?**

**Jude: *Grimaces* Like bickering grandparents that love to spoil their 'only' grandchild. *Sighs* Do you know how stressful it is to tell them to quiet down when you're trying to meditate? Horrible! But they at least get along when I make them apologize to each other.**

**Milla and Alvin: *Shocked* !?**

**Milla: Did you just call them-?!**

**Alvin: Bickering grandparents?!**

**Jude: Hm? *Smiles* Well, they are pretty old, so I think it fits.**  

._._._._._.

It was mid afternoon as they reached the entrance of a small town. The air was cool and refreshing as adults stopped and looked around. The town was small and rural. Trees sprouted in many different places and crates of fruits where set in several places. Jude went a bit further ahead to look up at the fruitful trees in amazement. He had never seen this much fruit all at once. Well, he seen them in pictures, but never in real life.

"Milla, look at all this fruit!" Jude said as he felt someone approach him. He turned to see Alvin strolling up to him and sniffing the air a bit.

"I smell a bit of cider around here. They must have orchards." he supplied. Jude tilted his head.

"Cider?" he asked. Alvin didn't get to answer as someone else did.

"Cider, my dear, is a drink that we make out of the napples we grow here." answered an old lady. She approached them with a smile. "Though, I'm afraid you are too young to drink it, my dear."

"Ah, really?" Jude said, turning to the old lady with a smile. "I guess I'll have to wait a few years then."

"Good evening, ma'am. Are you a resident here?" Milla asked, giving a polite smile. The old woman straightened her back.

"I would hope so. I'm the mayor." she said with a slight hint of amusement. Jude perked up.

"Uhm, is this the road to Nia Khera?" Jude asked. The old woman's features changed to surprise.

"Nia Khera? I haven't heard that name in ages." she said.

"What do you mean?" Alvin asked, curious with her choice of words.

"Many people call it a long forgotten village. I don't even know if it exists." the old woman said. Milla and Alvin shared a startled glance as the old woman continued. "I heard stories of it when I was a child. Some claim that it lies beyond the Kijara Seafalls."

"Kijara Seafalls? Where can we find it?" Milla asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Hm...You'll need to cross a really rugged terrain to get there. It's no easy journey from what I've heard." the old woman provided.

"In that case, we should rest here before moving on." Alvin said, looking over his two companions. Jude nodded as Milla voiced her opinion.

"I agree. Is there any place we can stay?" Milla asked.

"Well, our small village doesn't have an inn. Although, I do have an extra room that you can use for the night. Please, you're welcome to use it." the old woman said, gesturing her house. Milla offered her a grateful smile.

"Thank you for your hospitality, mayor." she thanked. The old woman laughed as she waved a hand dismissively.

"Oh, hahaha, there's no need to thank me. It's been a while since I have young people staying in my home. I'd love to welcome the change." she said. "Come, come, it's best not to block the way."

._._._._._.

The old woman got them settled in her extra room and urged them to go and take a look around the village. She insisted that "it may be the only peaceful place before you find Nia Khera" (her words precisely). Jude decided to take the opportunity to just watch the people go about their business. He found it quite amusing to see the children play allow the dirt paths with games only they understood. He didn't know how long he sat on a crate, just watching them, but he knew it wasn't long when he spotted Alvin coming up to him.

"Oh, hello, Alvin! What do you think of the town so far?" he asked, slightly curious what the mercenary was up to.

"Hey, Jude. It's much calmer here than Fennmont for sure. It's...nice." Alvin said as he leaned a bit of his weight on a crate next to Jude. "What about you?"

Jude gave a small smile as he closed his eyes and tilted his head a bit. "It reminds me of Nia Khera. Well...without the chaos a friend of mine gives me."

The two lapsed into silence as Alvin just hummed in response. They stayed there for a moment, observing the people going back and forth before them. That was until Alvin broke the silence.

"Hey, Jude, can I ask you something?" Alvin said as he crossed his arms. Jude looked confused for a moment before looking at him with his head slightly tilted.

"You just did." he deadpanned.

"Wha-no, I mean, I need to ask you something." Alvin corrected himself. The Lord of Spirits gave him a curious look, silently telling him to go on. "Milla mentioned about you trying to destroy a spyrix. Why do you want to destroy it?"

Jude blinked for a moment before getting off the crate he was sitting on. He looked up at that orange sky and held his left wrist with his hand with a small frown. "You know, that's a good question."

"You don't know?" Alvin questioned. Jude's mood suddenly darkened. The mercenary almost didn't notice when Jude lowered his head. He was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed the Lord of Spirit's eyes were wide, yet blank. Alvin felt his blood run cold for a moment as Jude spoke.

"Humans were never meant to have spyrix. I must take them away." Jude's voice was unnaturally dead; emotionless, completely uncharacteristic of his childish personality. "That is what I must do."

Jude suddenly blinked and his eyes were filled with life. What...what did he just do? What did he just say? What just happened?

Panicked, he looked up to Alvin with utter confusion. Alvin was shocked that he couldn't say anything as Jude was about to question what just happened. Although, he never got the chance as a pair of the village children came up to them.

"Hey, you!" said a boy with brown hair as he stopped in front of Jude. Jude turned his attention to the boy in slight surprise.

"Y-yes?"

"Wanna play with us?" said a girl with tan hair. She grabbed Jude's hand and began to pull him away from Alvin. "We don't have enough to play our next game. We need one more!"

"You want me to play? Wait-I-" Jude began, but Alvin suddenly smiled at the children and patted Jude's back.

"O-of course he would like to play with you guys! Go on, Jude." he said, pushing Jude forward a bit. The Lord of Spirits was about to say something, but the boy suddenly grabbed his other hand.

"Great! Come on! You can be on my team!" he said.

"W-wait! Ah, Alvi-!" Jude began but was cut off by Alvin.

"Have fun, Jude!" the mercenary said, giving him an easy going wave.

"We're gonna have lots of fun!" the girl exclaimed, walking with a leap in her step. Jude blinked several times as he reluctantly followed the children. He knew that he just felt something that wasn't right. Something took over him, and he just knew it. But, as the children began to throw him (not literally) into their game with five others, the feeling slowly slipped out of his mind without him even realizing it. It was almost as if it didn't want to linger long enough for Jude to notice.

Little did he notice Alvin's look of suspiciousness and wariness or the faint traces of mana leaving his body. If he did, he would've noticed the very presence of another spirit.

The Spirit that ruled over all Spirits.

._._._._._.

There was something wrong and Alvin knew it. That expression on Jude's face was not natural in anyway. It was almost as if Jude was completely not aware of himself. Could it be that there was a second personality Jude had, but was never aware of? Could that even be possible? 

It made Alvin completely question if Jude was truly the Lord of Spirits. From the stories he heard, Maxwell was supposed to be an old man. An  _wise, old,_ _**omniscient**_ Spirit. Jude was  _nothing_  compared to the stories. No, he _defied_  them all.

Jude was just a whole other story all by itself! He took a form of a child, a seemingly frail boy. He barely knew anything about humans and their actions, and yet, he was perfectly capable with interacting with human children. He was...too kind, too _innocent_ to just be called Maxwell. The Maxwell in stories were never as kind and, dare he say it,  _open-hearted_  to humans. Alvin would've considered Jude as a normal boy if it wasn't for the odd colors in his hair. No human would have their hair color naturally fade into a different color....right? 

Alvin watched with a slight frown as Jude played with the children with relative ease. The Lord of Spirits was laughing so brightly and just seemed... like an actual human child. The mercenary still could not believe that Jude was a spirit. There was absolutely no possible way--!

"Alvin?" came Milla's voice, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Milla tilting her head slightly with a look of slight annoyance and an impatient hand on her hip. "I've been trying to get your attention for a while now. You've been staring hard at Jude, it's making me think you hate him."

Alvin was taken aback with Milla's words, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. "What? No! I don't hate the kid! It's just--Well, you know. I'm a little worried about the kid." 

He silently hoped that Milla would take the half-lie as she gave him a look that said "If you say so". Sighing, she shook her head and turned her attention to the children playing with Jude. She smiled softly. 

"You know, it feels nice to look at children. They don't have heavy burdens like us adults." Milla said, holding her elbows. She glanced at Alvin, who scoffed and crossed his arms. 

"Yeah, just look at them go. Not a care in the world." Alvin paused for a moment, contemplating whether to tell her what he just experienced with Jude or not as Milla called for the Lord of Spirits.

"Jude! It's going to be dark soon. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Milla said in a strangely motherly tone. 

"Okay! Coming!" Jude said. He turned to the group of children and said a few words. Most of the children were visibly upset, but the older ones closer to Jude's age were grinning, thanking him for playing with them for the evening. As Jude headed their way, he was smiling like any normal child would do after a bit of fun. With the look on Milla's face, Alvin finally settled on a decision. He would not say anything to Milla, or to Jude for that matter. Instead, he'd keep it to himself. Even his employer didn't need to know. He looked at Milla and crossed his arms. 

"You're fond of children, aren't you?" Alvin asked Milla before Jude came into earshot. Milla gave a bit of a smirk as she turned around, letting Jude follow her. 

"Yes, I am." 

._._._._._.

**Skit: Age**

**Alvin: So, why did you take a human form?**

**Jude: Well, spirits are just mass of mana. In that form, they can't interact with the temporal world. So, in order to be able to, they need a catalyst that corresponds to their element. Like how Efreet takes a form of a burning inferno.**

**Milla: And since you're Maxwell, you can use any element.**

**Jude: Well, of course! A human body is the only one that contains all four elements, so it makes it the perfect catalyst for me to take a physical form.**

**Alvin: And what happens when you lose the catalyst?**

**Jude: Uhm...*frowns a little* well, I'd have to gather the elements again and wait for it to grow up.**

**Milla: Grow up? As in, you start as a baby?**

**Jude *sighs* Yeah, unfortunately, the body has to develop first. It's very time-consuming but it's the necessary process if I want to use a human as a catalyst.**

**Alvin: So, the Lord of the Spirits isn't omnipotent?**

**Jude: *smiles* Well, in the human world. I was actually hoping to let this body grow a bit stronger for another five years, but because of the current events, that seems to be highly unlikely.**

**Alvin: *Perks a bit* Oh, so you would be eighteen if you waited five more years then.**

**Jude: *Tilts head* Eighteen?**

**Milla: He means that you would be eighteen in five years.**

**Jude: Oh, what? No, no, no. *shakes head* I'd be twenty in five years.**

**Alvin *Shocked* You're fifteen!? Not thirteen!?**

**Milla: Aha! *Points at Alvin* I was closer!**

**Alvin: You guessed thirteen to fourteen!**

**Milla: *Smirks* I'm still closer.**

**Alvin: *Sinks a little and runs a hand through his hair* Geez, I swear you're just trying to make me the butt of the joke.**

**Jude: *Blinks*...I never knew adults could act like children. *Smiles* Humans sure are strange.**

 


	6. The Foxy Woman

The next morning, it took a while for Jude to get his bearings, but Milla was able to draw him out of his now called "Morning daze" nevertheless. It was mid morning when they had already finished breakfast with the delighted mayor.

"Is there something we need to get before leaving?" Jude asked as he stepped out of the house. Milla followed close behind him while Alvin had already headed out, saying he needed to check on something. Jude didn't bother to question him since he figured that Alvin was one of those "mysterious" people.

Before anyone would ask, he read it in a story book.

"Well, I restocked on those apple gels and a few other things. The mayor was nice enough to give us some food for the road. Don't worry, I thanked her." Milla said, placing a hand on her hip. She looked around to take in the serene scene before her. It felt really nice to have a moment to relax, but she knew that it wouldn't last for long. Being on the run can do that to people she supposed.

"Oh, good. I guess all we need to do is wait for Alvin. Wherever he is." Jude said as he leapt up to sit on a crate. His honey gold eyes watched a small butterfly pass by him and Milla couldn't help but look at him. How in the world would Jude survive on his own? If he was this curious about this many things, she didn't even want to imagine how Jude would've managed without the Four Great Spirits.

Sighing, she turned her head at the sound of armor hitting the ground from a distance. Milla silently cursed as she spotted Rashugal soldiers meeting the mayor that the entrance of Hamil.

"Ah! Milla, aren't they the ones who tried to arrest us?" Jude asked, slipping off of the crate. Milla didn't answer as a harsh whisper sounded behind her.

"Milla! Jude!" It was unmistakably Alvin's voice. She turned around to see Alvin waving them over behind a house. Jude apparently heard him as he hurried over to Alvin's side. Milla took one glance at the soldiers talking to the mayor before slipping behind the house next to Alvin.

"I thought we had more time." she hissed in frustration. Alvin gritted his teeth as he peeked from the corner.

"I thought so, too, but they were a little too fast considering that this isn't even their homeland." he said. Jude bit his lip.

"As much as I hate to say it, we should go. I can't get caught now." he said, pulling Alvin's sleeve a bit. The mercenary grimaced as he ruffled Jude's hair.

"Kid's got a point." Alvin agreed, looking to Milla. "There's an exit west of here that will lead us to Kijara Seafalls. I'm sure of it."

Milla gave him a look and nodded. "Right, I trust you."

Jude didn't miss a flash of some unreadable emotion behind Alvin's eyes. He didn't bother to point it out as Milla led the way to the exit. Unfortunately, once they got there, there was already a pair of soldiers stationed there near a shack. Milla hissed a curse as she pulled Jude out of sight. Alvin almost went past Jude before backtracking at the sight of the soldiers.

"Well, damn. They already got here." he cursed. Jude clenched his fists.

"So it seems...what if we charge right through? You know, right before more come this way?" Jude suggested. Alvin looked at him as if he was crazy.

"You serious?" he asked him. Jude shrugged.

"Got any other ideas?"

Milla was about to draw her sword when a booming voice practically exploded out of nowhere.

"RASHUGAL SOLDIERS! HOW DARE YOU SET FOOT HERE!"

The three were all jolted in surprise at the tone and quickly backed out of sight and saw the source. A large man in a yellow and white fur coat with a huge hammer stomped over to the soldiers, a fierce look of anger clear on his face. Jude felt his jaw drop.

Who knew a human can be nearly as big as Efreet!?

They watched as the man pretty much swung his hammer at the soldiers. Milla felt the urge to face palm as they pathetically scampered out of the way, clearing the road out of here. If she was still in the army, that would've been a very pitiful sight to see. Where did all their training go?

Alvin shared a look with Milla and nodded. "Looks like it's our chance."

"Come on, Jude!" Milla said as she grabbed Jude's arm and pulled him along. He stumbled a bit but caught his footing. He didn't say anything as he allowed himself to follow Milla and Alvin out of Hamil. Looking over his shoulder, he saw past the startled guards and caught sight of a figure dressed in purple.

"A girl...?"

She was running down the path to the center of the village with a strange doll floating around her. Jude couldn't help but feel like she shouldn't. He wanted to run after her and warn her not to go, but Milla's grip was tight around his arm. Reluctantly, he pushed away the urge and looked at Milla's back.

Why was her grip so strong? Jude could pass it off as a Milla just being strong, but something was telling him it wasn't. Another thought entered Jude's head and made him smile.

She probably just cared.

._._._._._.

It was afternoon by the time the arrived at Kijara Seafalls. There were patches of sand and large, curving rock jutting out of the ground. Jude had always admired the view from above, but he never thought that looking at the land this way would be breath taking.

"Once we cross here, we'll make it to Nia Khera, the village of spirits." Milla said as she crossed the sands with a slight frown. "I never actually walked on sand like this before..."

"Well, it's not as bad as fighting in mud. Now that's nasty." Alvin said.

"I'm happy that we made it this far, but I'm a bit worried about the people of Hamil. Those soldiers aren't going to cause them trouble, right?" Jude asked, his hands messing with the hem of his sleeves.

"Well, who could tell? If they were looking for us, then I'm not sure how things are gonna play out." Alvin said as he crossed his arms.

"I am a bit worried for them, Jude, but for now, we just have to hope that they will fare well with the trouble we caused them." Milla said, gently patting his head. Jude still looked a little unsure, but eventually he nodded and held his head a little higher.

"Right. I'll just have to come back when things have calmed down and apologize to them later." he said.

"Apologize?" Alvin echoed, surprised with Jude's words.

"Yeah. A lot of lesser spirits are always making a few mistakes and causing trouble for other spirits. In a way, I constantly caused them a bit of stress simply because I am their lord. I always apologize to them, so it can't be much different from humans...right?" the Lord of Spirits said with a soft smile. Milla and Alvin shared an incredulous look of surprise. They weren't expecting that. In fact, they weren't expecting that at all!

"Wow, I never thought a kid would put it that way." Alvin said with a slightly wide eyes. Milla gave him a look.

"Technically, he's a spirit." she corrected. Jude started to walk past them with a bounce in his step, totally not noting the disbelief on their faces.

"This way to Nia Khera, right? Let's go before we lose anymore time!"

._._._._._.

**Skit: Can I keep it? (Kijara Seafalls)**

**Milla: I'm seriously beginning to wonder who raised him.**

**Alvin: Honestly, I don't know if the Lord of Spirits is supposed to be this nice or he's just plain naive.**

**Milla: *Thoughtful* From the way he talks about spirits, he generally thinks that Humans and spirits are similar.**

**Alvin: *Shrugs* Or just flat out thinks that we're all the same.**

**Milla: Maybe we should stop basing him off of the stories we heard about and just go with what's in front of us.**

**Jude: *Comes out of no where* What's in front of us?**

**Alvin: *Surprised* What the-?! Where'd you come from?!**

**Jude: From that pond over there. Never mind that, look what I found! *Grins***

***Squelch***

**Jude: Can I keep it?**

**Milla: *pales* ?!**

**Alvin: *Staggers* Jude! Put that back! Put that back right now!**

**Jude: But it's so weird!**

**Milla: *Muttering to herself* H-how-how-how is he e-eve-even holding th-at...?!**

**Alvin: That's dangerous! Put it back in the water!**

**Jude: Milla, here look! *Moves to Milla with a grin***

***Squiiiiiish***

**Milla: *Shrieks* NOOOOooooo! No! Keep that thing AWAY from me! *Hides behind Alvin***

**Jude and Alvin: *Shares a look* ...**

**Jude: Can I keep it? It's just a-**

**Alvin: No. Put it back. Now.**

**Jude: *Crestfallen* 'Kaaay...**

._._._._._.

After that awkward moment of discovering Milla's apparent fear of squishy things, the group of three made their way in the direction of Nia Khera.

"Now that we're nearing Nia Khera, I just gotta ask, Jude," Milla began as they came across a set of steppingstones before a water fall, "But who's Ivar?"

Jude didn't answer until he happily hopped to the first stop with a happy smile. "Oh, him? He's annoying."

Milla did a double take. "Wait, what?"

Jude had said it so casually that it seemed like it was a normal thing for him. Alvin looked surprised by his answer too as he followed the Lord of Spirits across.

"You asked for an answer so I gave you one." he said, cheerfully. Milla sighed.

"Yeah, that's true..." She said. Alvin's hand suddenly patted her shoulder.

"Hey, let's take a break. My feet are killing me, aren't yours?" he asked. Milla shifted her weight and noticed the slight ache in her own feet.

"Ah, you make a point, how about you Jude?" she asked, but when she looked up, Jude was already at the other side of the waterfall. He was politely smiling and waving a calm hand at them.

"Are you guys okay?" he called out. Alvin and Milla shared a look before Milla broke it with a small laugh.

"We're good!" she called back. "Just wait for us there!"

"'Kay!"

Alvin shook his head and dropped his hand away from Milla. "Man, I swear, that kid has endless energy."

Milla just shook her head in amusement as she continued to the other side. Once they got there, Jude was playing with the water with a soft smile on his face.

"You having fun there kid?" Alvin asked as he knelt by him. Jude pulled his hand out of the water and splashed Alvin without a moment of hesitation. Alvin spluttered a little as Jude just laughed and stood up.

"Ahahaha, you guys can rest if you want. I'm still good, so I'll go take a look around. Don't worry, I can handle myself. I know you guys need it." Jude added as he saw the look of refusal on Milla's face. She sighed and took a seat next to Alvin.

"Alright, five minutes and that's it." she said.

"Okay~!" Jude said, already climbing up a ledge. He heard Alvin telling him to be careful and he responded with a simple "I will!"

He made sure he was still able to see the adults as he scaled a few more rocks and peeked around a wall of rock. Another waterfall was there, but that didn't catch his attention. Instead, he caught sight of the abnormally large rock clinging to the wall. Wait, clinging?

A flare of excitement filled him as he moved toward the falls. Unfortunately, an Arte circle formed beneath him. He gasped as he suddenly felt constricted. Pink circles trapped him and levitated him into the air. Jude flinched as its grip tightened.

He was brought over the water and he spotted his captor. A blonde haired woman with her hair style like a fox's ears, and showy clothes stood a top a stab of rock jutting out from the ground. In her hands was a large open book. She smiled and close the book as Jude drew closer to her.

"You're not too observant. That was way too easy." she said with a sly, yet bored tone. Jude wanted to back away, but he couldn't as he was stopped about a foot away from her. Immediately, he dropped his childish behavior.

"Who are you?" Jude asked, keeping his composure in tacked. She laughed and placed a thin finger on his lips.

"Ahaha, I'm not telling. I'm surprised though. You're so young and yet you got yourself mixed up into something very serious." she said as her hand moved down. Jude shivered at the unfamiliar contact and quickly decided that he did not like it. He tensed.

"Hey! Stop it!" Jude demanded. The woman gave him a glance as she slipped a hand into his coat. His breath hitched at the contact and struggled against his bindings.

"I know you have it, that little prize you've stolen. Now, tell me, where could it be hiding...?" she said in a strange tone that Jude did not recognize. He felt her take the collapsed key of the spyrix and pulled it out. Jude made no move to stop her as she tossed it a second after observing it. She reached in again and pulled out his Lilium orb. With a small frown, she tossed that to the side to. Jude took note that it fell into the water near the falls. He withheld a heavy sigh, already knowing how much of a pain it would be to get it back.

The woman narrowed her eyes and lifted up her book as a warning. "Come on, Little one. Give it here."

Jude shook his head, ignoring the feeling of dread creeping up on him. "I can't give it to you."

Without another word, the woman opened up her book and flipped the pages. It started to glow a shade of purple and suddenly, Jude could feel his bindings stabbing at him. He gasped harshly as a fiery pain pricked at him and threw his head back a bit. His squirmed in attempt to get away.

"Aww, can't handle a little pain? A child as young as you would just flinch." she taunted. Jude gritted his teeth and glared at her.

"I don't have it." he stated. He wasn't lying. After all, she was the one who threw it on the rock below them. She didn't seem to take it as she stared at him.

"You don't have to lie." With a wave of her hand, the pain suddenly intensified, causing Jude to cringe and tense. His voice hitched to a pitch higher as he tried to keep back a pathetic whimper. It practically felt like thousand of knives poking and stabbing him, leaving a terrible sore before getting stabbed again. "I don't like to do this with children, but if you come clean and tell me where it is, I can make all the pain stop."

"I'm not a child, darn it!" Jude exclaimed, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the pain. "I'm fifteen!"

"Very well, You'll be coming with me then." She said, waving her hand again. Jude didn't hold back a cry as the pain came ten-fold. He struggled against the binds, hoping to get free.

"M-Milla! Al-vin!" Jude cried, knowing that he couldn't do anything.

"Put him down!" Jude peeked an eye open against the pain and felt relief flood through him for a moment. Milla stood at the bottom with her sword drawn. She glared dangerously at his captor as Alvin joined her side. The woman took note of Alvin and took a glance at Milla.

"A former Rashugal soldier? Did she really catch your eye? Or did this sweet, innocent, little child become your concern?" she asked.

Alvin narrowed his eyes slightly as he stepped forward a bit. "All right, let him go. I could care less why you're here, but he's my employer."

"Then stay out of this. Unless you want the blood of a child on your hands." she practically hissed.

"Who are you? Who hired you?!" Milla demanded, her grip tightening on her sword. Jude could hardly breathe now. His eyes were tearing up and he could barely tell anything as pain just flooded them over.

"Do you expect me to just tell you? What do you take me for? A person easy to get information out of? This child is just as good as anyone could get." she said, her tone confident and provoking. Jude wasn't even listening as he felt a presence behind him. As misleading as it looked, he kicked his leg back in that direction in hope that someone (not his captor) would notice. Milla turned her head when she heard a click beside her. Alvin had his gun in his and and checked the bullets. The woman took it as a sign that he didn't want Jude.

"Oh, so you're going to watch this child die? You-"

Alvin didn't let her finish as he shot a rock at the side of a wall. Not even a second later, the large stone suddenly shivered before revealing itself to be a monster, snapping its legs out for all to see. It dropped to the ground, causing the woman to gasp and release the Arte holding Jude captive. Jude didn't realize that the he was released and fell to the stone bottom like a doll, completely passing out from the impact and the pain altogether.

._._._._._.

Milla swore. Not silently. Loudly.

She was about to rush toward the fallen Lord of Spirits, but kept herself in check as the monster leapt at the woman. The woman didn't have a chance to dodge as she took the hit, flying off the top of the rock and splashing into the water. She glanced at Alvin and glared at him. Sure it was the only, best possible option at the moment, but it was utterly reckless.

"Sorry, but let's focus on getting rid of that thing before it kills Jude!" he said, rushing in. He swung his sword as soon as he came close and blacked and incoming tentacle. Milla quickly followed up by striking with her sword at the joint. She gritted her teeth as she felt her sword scrape against the skin. Milla leapt back was Alvin rolled out of the way of another attack.

"It's tougher than it looks! My sword can't cut through." Milla told him.

"I'll give it a try." Alvin said with a nod. Milla brandished her sword for a split second and dashed across the rock. She had to be careful and keep her balance since the rocks were quite slippery from the water. She had fought in a condition like this, but it wasn't for long. She silently prayed that she could use it to her advantage as she served as a distraction for the Greater Demon.

Her sword blocked a slapping tentacle and caught Alvin bringing up his buster sword and slashing at it. The Demon screeched and waved it's injured tentacle with vigor, trying to catch them with a smack. Both adults were quick to dodge out of the way. It suddenly stabbed it's largest tentacles into the ground and a pool of water formed out of no where. Milla was nearly caught by the dangerous swirls of water and leapt away.

She focused on her Lilium orb and reached out to Alvin. Without a hitch, they easily linked. Just one glance at each other, they knew what to do. Together, they rushed in and tapped into their Spirit Artes. They meet together and held their swords readily at the monster.

"Ready?" Milla asked.

"Got it." Alvin assured. In sync, their swords was engulfed in flames and they shot forward.

"Hell Pyre!" They yelled together. Their swords moved and struck the head of the monster, efficiently burning it. Their Arte ended and the Greater Demon roared in anger and pain. Milla took a moment to look behind the monster and immediately panicked. Jude wasn't there.

"Alvin! Jude's gone!" Milla yelled over the monster's roars. Alvin only had a moment to look at her with wide eyes, before forcing themselves to sidestep a flailing tentacle.

"Damn it! Where could he be?!" Alvin questioned, stabbing the offending tentacle while Milla jabbed her sword at it. The blade finally broke through the thick skin, causing a flood of red to flow out of the wound. They didn't have the time to really worry about Jude as the Greater Demon started to attack vigorously, firing lasers of water and swinging its tentacle at them. Milla and Alvin tried to get a bit closer, but the Demon was being careful this time.

"Damn it! I can't get close!" Alvin said as he fired his gun from a distance. It seemed to do a bit of damage as it hit the under shell. Even so, it wasn't much, only irritating it even more. Milla was still linked with Alvin, but the Demon was smart to keep them away. Just how were they going to get back together?!

"Over here, you cursed thing!" came a familiar voice. Both of them looked up to see a dripping wet Jude clutching his Lilium orb at the top of the jutting rock behind the monster. He had a small smirk on his face as he stuck his Lilium orb into his pocket and waved his hands a red Arte circle formed around him, causing the Demon to look up at him too. It barely have the time to dodge as a ball of fire formed in Jude's hands.

"Fire Ball!" he cried as Jude leapt off the rock and threw the ball of fire downwards, right into the face of the monster. The monster screamed as the fire burned the entirety of its face. Jude landed on the rock, but slipped to his back and nearly fell back into the water.

"Now!" He cried at the adults. They didn't have to be told twice as Milla and Alvin meet again with one jump.

"Hell Pyre?" Milla asked as she gathered flames into her sword.

"You got it." Alvin said, taking some of Milla's flames into his sword. Once again, they preformed the same action, swinging their swords in sync and cutting up the demon.

With one last cry, the Greater Demon broke into black ashes, just like all the other monsters they encountered before. Milla slashed her sword to get rid of the red on her bald and sheathed it, Alvin doing the same with his sword.

"Thanks for saving us, Ju-" Milla cut her self off when she noticed that the Lord of Spirits was no where to be seen. "Jude?"

Alvin shared a look of confusion with her. "Where'd he go this time?"

He barely finished the question when Jude suddenly popped out of the water flailing a little bit before grabbing the ledge. He coughed a little and peeked up to the shocked adults with a smile.

"Is it gone...?" he asked. Milla heaved a relieved sigh and went over to help him out of the water.

"What you doing in the water?" she asked him as he stumbled into her arms. She ran her hands through Jude's hair, squeezing the water out as he held up the collapsed key.

"Getting this. It's funny how she was looking for this and she tossed it into the water without a second thought." Jude said, turning the key in his hands. Milla pushed him back a little.

"Come on, take off your coat so you can dry up a little faster. I think we should double the pace to Nia Khera." she told him. Jude nodded and did what he was told. Alvin crossed his arms.

"Hey, Jude, how'd monster was over there?" he asked. Jude twisted his coat and gave him a smile.

"I didn't. I just thought it was weird." he said.

"Wait, that's why you were kicking?" Milla asked, moving him away from the water.

"Yup! It worked." Jude answered, happily.

"Did you ever consider the fact that the monster could've charged at you instead of the woman, or both of you at the same time?" Milla said, ranting a little as she crossed her arms.

"Even so, Alvin could easily get in her blind spot and taken her." came Jude's hesitant answer. Then he quickly added, "But I knew I would be fine because I was sure you and Alvin could prevent it from hurting me otherwise. Plus the monster didn't really pick up my presence, despite the fact I was the Lord of Spirits."

"...You figured that out on you're own?" Alvin asked. Jude frowned a bit as he pulled at his damp shirt a bit.

"Well, yeah." He suddenly smiled at them, "Thank you, Milla and Alvin, for saving me."

"No problem, Jude." Alvin said as he gave Jude's hair a bit of a ruffle. Jude only closed one eye and tensed a bit at the contact. Luckily, Alvin pulled away before Jude could do anything to him.

Milla laughed a little as she hung Jude's coat on her arm. "Come on, we should get going. You'll never know if there's another one like that woman coming our way."

._._._._._.

**Skit: Can I keep it? (Kijara Seafalls II)**

**Jude: ...**

**Milla: Is something on your mind, Jude?**

**Jude: Well...I picked up something in the sand.**

**Alvin: And?**

**Jude: *fidgets* Can I keep it?**

**Milla: *Blunt* No.**

**Alvin: Hey, you don't even know what it is though.**

**Milla: If it's a damn Sea Urchin Cucumber again, Jude, I swear I'll-**

**Jude: It's this!**

**Everyone: ...**

**Milla: Please tell me that doesn't have a snail in there.**

**Jude: Can I keep it?**

**Alvin: *Thoughtful* Well... it looks like it's just an empty shell. I think you can.**

**Milla: ...As long as it can fit in your pocket, Jude, I'm fine with it.**

**Jude: *smiles happily* Yes! Thank you, Milla! Thank you, Alvin! *Goes further up ahead***

**Alvin: ...So why hate Sea Urchin Cucumbers?**

**Milla: *Shivers* Ever had one crawl up your back?**

**Alvin *Pales***

**Milla: Exactly.**

._._._._._.

"Hey, Alvin," Jude began as they trudged along the sands. His hair was still a bit damp, but his cloths were nearly dry. "Did you know that woman?"

Alvin was walking by him as he answered, "Not sure, although she did seem to know me."

"Maybe an enemy you made while on a job once?" Milla said, looking over her shoulder. "I'm sure being a mercenary isn't very easy if that happens."

"Well, it's worth the money when you need it." He said with a shrug. Jude stopped and looked at him.

"You must be pretty bad though." he said.

"Huh? Why?" Alvin asked as Jude frowned a little.

"Well, one of the people in my village said, 'A man who forgets the face of a beautiful woman who loved him is a loser for life!' Or so he said." Jude said, staring at Alvin a bit blankly. The mercenary choked for a moment, not expecting those words coming from a fifteen year old.

"Wait-what?! You think that woman loved me?!" he spluttered. Milla blinked at Alvin.

"You know, he has a point." she said.

"You can't be-" Alvin never got to finish as Jude suddenly took off.

"Come on! We're wasting daylight!" the Lord of Spirits called back. "Nia Khera is just right there!"

"Jude!" Milla called after him, but gave up as he kept running ahead. "Just like a kid, I swear."

Alvin sighed as he began to catch up to Jude. "I'm starting to feel like I'm too old for this..."

Milla just laughed.

 


	7. The (Annoying) Handmaid

It didn't take them long to reach Nia Khera after leaving the Kijara Seafalls. The sands slowly turned to dirt and grass, and soon, it began to slope. Milla was amazed at how Jude was practically skipping uphill without a problem.

"Someone's missing." Jude said as he stopped at the entrance of the village. He had a set frown on his face and his arms were crossed. Milla and Alvin shared a look of slight confusion.

"Who?" Milla asked. Jude looked around for a moment before dropping his arms with a...sigh of relief?

"Ah, looks like I can avoid getting scolded for a while." Jude said with a smile. He threw a grin at the adults behind him and scampered over to an old man sitting on a mat. "Chief Keita! I'm home~!"

"Lord Maxwell?" The old man looked up rom what he was doing and suddenly smiled, "Oh, how good it is to see you safe, my lord!"

"Lord Maxwell's home!"

"He has returned, he has returned!"

Milla and Alvin was surprised to see people either rushing or walking toward the entrance, all with relieved smiles on their faces. The children hurried over to Jude, but suddenly stopped short. Everyone around Jude dropped to one knee, bowing their heads and clasping their raised hands together.

Jude looked over them for a moment before heaving a sigh. "You don't need to do that overtime I'm here. I'd rather keep things informal, thank you."

As if a spell had broken, the children dropped their hands as got up, all crowding around Jude with several questions thrown at him. The adults slowly got up and returned to their own duties.

"Lord Maxwell, where did you go?"

"Everyone was worried!"

Jude laughed pleasantly as he grinned at all of the children. "I just went out for a little while. Have any of you seen Ivar?"

The children shook their heads as the village chief walked up to them. Jude couldn't help but notice the worried frown on his face.

"Lord Maxwell, Ivar had left the village in search of you. He was in such a panic that he couldn't sleep well." Chief Keita said. Jude hummed in understanding as he nodded. He took the time to politely tell the children off, saying the they needed to help their parents before turning his attention back to the elder.

"Alright. I guess I have to do this without him. Chief Keita, gather the four temporal stones and give them to Alvin and Milla," he said, gesturing to the adults over his shoulder behind him. "Alvin, Milla, will take them and accompany me to my shrine."

Chief Keita looked a bit unsure. "But, Lord Maxwell, can you trust them?"

Jude smiled, "Of course! They were, after all, the ones who accompanied me home."

"Very well, Lord Maxwell, as you wish," Chief Keita said with a nod, heading to the closest villagers.

"Thank you." Jude said. He looked over his shoulder and gestured to them. "Milla, Alvin, I hope you don't mind, but, follow me please!"

He didn't wait for a response as he began to head up a dirt road.

"Oh~kaaaayy...What just happened?" Alvin asked as he crossed his arms. Milla took a deep breath and shrugged as she sighed.

"You know, I'm just gonna go with it. He's impossible to figure out." she said, following after the Lord of Spirits.

._._._._._.

**Skit: Jude's Hometown**

**Milla: So, this is Jude's hometown... It's more peaceful as I thought it would be.**

**Jude: Hmm? Of course, it's peaceful! Were you expecting something else?**

**Alvin: Well, from how you made it sound, it seemed to be a little crazy around here.**

**Jude: Crazy? Ahaha, it would never be-! *Blinks for a moment then sulks* Ah.**

**Milla: *Concerned* What's wrong?**

**Jude: Well, from time to time, it can be a bit crazy... But that's when Ivar's around. He's not here, so I can enjoy the peace for now. *Grins***

**Alvin: Doesn't your parents ever stop him?**

**Jude: *Confused* Parents? Spirits don't have parents.**

**Alvin: Then how were you born?**

**Jude: *shrugs* Well, fifteen years ago, I took this form and I appeared in my shrine along with the Four.**

**Milla: Just like that?**

**Jude: Yup! At first, the villagers were scared of just looking at me in the eye, but I guess it's because I tend to help out here and there.**

**Alvin: So...in other words, you're a great spirit that helps humans without much of a thought.**

**Milla: And that probably explains why they were willing to help you.**

**Jude: Ah...I guess so. *Smiles***

**Alvin: Come to think of it, the Artes that channels the Four's power hasn't worked for a while right?**

**Milla: They haven't. In fact, it all stopped since the Silencing fifteen years ago. The Four's power disappeared overnight. I remember how chaotic that was.**

**Alvin: Wait, you said fifteen years ago, right?**

**Milla: That's what I said. *Perks up* Oh! Jude, aren't you fifteen?**

**Jude: Yeah, I thought we established that earlier. *Tilts head* And before you ask, I'm sorry. I took the Four and used them for myself. *Sinks a little* Unfortunately, even I can't summon them right now. It's starting to worry me a little.**

**Milla: *Smiles* Don't worry. If whatever you're planning to do works then you can get them back.**

**Jude: Yeah...if.**

**Alvin: *That unhappy, looking to the side expression he makes* ...**

._._._._._.

Once the group of three reached the entrance leading to the the Spiritway, they didn't have to wait long for the villagers to bring up the temporal stones. Milla and Alvin found it a bit strange how the villagers gave them the stones without questioning Jude's motives. Alvin couldn't help but notice Jude's strong influence over the villagers was so strong, they actually gave Milla and Alvin suspicious looks before going back to their own business. He concluded that the people in this village were quite protective over Jude.

With a few words of thanks, Jude lead them up the Spiritway. There were a few monsters that blocked the way, but Milla and Alvin made quick work of them, only allowing Jude to cast a few Artes the entire trip.

"This is your house, Jude?" Milla asked as she took in the sight. It wasn't much, but she was impressed by how rural it looked. It was surrounded by a grove of forests around, almost as if it was protecting the area. Alvin let out a short whistle.

"Doesn't really look like it matches you much." he said honestly. Jude merely tilted his head.

"Really? I always thought that it alright. It's quiet enough for me to meditate when I need to." he said, holding his left wrist with his right hand.

"Don't you ever get bored?" the mercenary asked.

"Bored? Me? Only when the days moves slowly. I tend to read whatever Ivar gives me, but after I help the villagers, I stay here for the rest of the day." Jude said simply. He missed the shared look that Milla and Alvin shared as he walked up the steps to his shrine and pushed the door open. He turned to them. "Come on, I need your help with this..."

With once last shared glance, Milla and Alvin followed the Lord of spirits into the shrine. They were bit taken aback with the lack of furniture. All there was were cloths of silk hung around for decoration and a single elevated seat to the back. Jude stopped at the little of the room and pointed his fingers at the faint lines engraved on the floor.

"I want you to place the temporal stones in the circle with their respective color. It should be pretty obvious where to put it." Jude said. Milla just nodded as she set the pair she was given while Alvin did the same. Once she placed the last stone in place, she looked over to Jude.

"Is this alright?" she asked. Jude had settled on the center of the floor with his legs crossed. He nodded and gave her a smile.

"That's fine. I recommend you stand back though. I wouldn't want you to get caught in it." Jude said. Milla nodded and stood back with Alvin near the entrance.

Taking a deep breath, Jude sat up straighter and lifted his hands. He closed his eyes as a small ball of light began to form infant of him. His small hands moved around it with such grace that Milla was nearly jealous of it. Jude kept his hands moving, encouraging an Arte circle to form before him. Suddenly, Jude snapped open his eyes and threw out his hands to the side, solidifying half of the Arte. He brought his hands in again and moved them vertically apart, completing the Arte circle. Above him, a copy of the circle formed and beams of light briefly engulfed the temporal stones.

Milla thought for a moment that it was working, but Jude's face told her otherwise. His eyes were wide with horror as one of the stones suddenly cracked. With a flash of white light, Jude felt the mana around him disperse into the area around him, causing him to cry out in shock and slight pain. Once the light cleared away, Jude was no longer sitting with his legs crossed. He was on his side, gripping his chest like it was crushing him.

"Jude!" Milla yelled, but she didn't get the chance to hurry to his side.

"Lord Jude!" a loud voice called. Milla and Alvin barely dodged a blur of white that passed them. Jude gritted his teeth as he slowly sat up. His head was spinning and he could barely hold himself up.

"I-Ivar?"

A white haired teen dropped to one knee before Jude and quickly supported him with a hand. "Lord Jude, what happened?!"

When Jude didn't answer in favor of catching his breath, Ivar looked around and his eyes widened. "Wait...this is the rite of the Four's Advent! What were you doing performing this ritual!"

He didn't release his hand as he looked around. "Hold on...Efreet? Sylph? Where are you? Undine, this isn't funny! Gnome, this isn't the time to be shy!"

Jude placed a hand on Ivar to catch his attention. He shook his head forlornly, struggling to stay up right. Ivar stared at him wide eyed and brought Jude a little closer.

"Jude," Ivar began. Jude flinched at the tone, knowing full well that Ivar would only drop the formalities when he was in serious trouble. "What happened? Why aren't the Four appearing before us?"

Jude couldn't keep himself upright anymore and just fell into Ivar's waiting arm. He took a moment to rest a bit before finally answering in a shaking voice. "They're... they're gone. Ivar, they're gone."

Ivar's eyes widened in disbelief. "...What?"

"I'll... I'll explain later." Jude said, closing his eyes. "Just... give me a... a moment, please."

"Why don't we explain?" Milla offered, walking up to the two. Ivar looked at her for a moment before his eyes widened.

"Who are you?!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. Jude nearly face palmed. Ivar was  _just now_ noticing them.

"I'm Milla." Milla said simply, placing a hand on her hip.

"And I'm Alvin." Alvin chipped in, but it was quickly unnoticed.

"N-n-no way!" Jude didn't have the moment to react as he was suddenly held by Ivar's strong (not too strong) arms. "YOUR BROTHER DOES NOT APPROVE!"

"Since when was I your brother?!" Jude wailed, trying to get out of Ivar's grip.

"What are you talking about?! I've always been your brother, and I do not approve of this woman!" Ivar refused to let go of Jude.

"What do you mean you 'do not approve'?!" Jude asked, struggling to get Ivar's arm unwrapped around his thin waist. "I never asked for your opinion!"

Milla took a moment to look at them as Jude looked more and more confused and frustrated with Ivar's "strange" behavior. If it wasn't such a serious moment, then she would've laughed. Alvin came up to her and leaned a bit in her direction.

"Let me get this straight, Ivar is talking about relationships...right?" the mercenary asked in a low tone, not wanting to catch the boys' attention. Milla cracked a smile.

"I'm going to say it is." she told him. With a hum, Alvin leaned back and finally cleared his throat, making himself known.

"Are we going to explain or what?" he asked.

"Yes! We are!" Jude exclaimed, finally stumbling out of Ivar's grip.

"Oh, right! I-" Ivar stopped himself from continuing as Jude sent him a look that pleaded him to shut up and stop. Once they were all settled on the floor (Well, Ivar allowed Jude to lean against him as he faced Milla and Alvin), the adults launched into a detailed description of what happened. Ivar sat there (surprisingly), taking it in while Jude dozed off for a bit.

"I... I can't believe it." Ivar muttered. His voice unintentionally woke Jude from his tiny nap. The Lord of Spirits sat up and placed a hand on the ground to support himself, ignoring Ivar's look of concern.

"Neither can I. I mean, I can feel them, but they can't answer my call or anything." Jude said with a frown. His right hand clenched into a fist. "But I know they aren't dead."

"Can the Great Spirit's die?" Alvin asked suddenly. Jude blinked at him.

"They-" Jude never go the chance to even finish the word as Ivar jabbed a finger at Alvin.

"What a foolish question! Just like a lesser spirit, when they die they become a fossil, yet the power transfers to the next Great Spirit!" Ivar said, rising on his knees.

"Well, from stories." Milla concluded, bluntly.

"That's blasphemy!" Ivar exclaimed as he shot to his feet.

"Ivar-" Jude tried, giving a tired look at his handmaid.

"Spirits are immortal beings that live within the spirit world!" Ivar continued.

"Ivar-" Jude tried again. There was a slight tone of impatience but Ivar didn't notice as he continued.

"You can't even begin to understand the power that they have!"

"Ivar!" Jude snapped. The handmaid suddenly clamped his mouth shut at Jude's tone, looking down at him apologetically. Jude was gritting his teeth and rubbing his head. "Just stop please. We're starting to get off topic."

"R-right! Forgive me, Lord Maxwell." Ivar said as he bowed his head and took his seat on the floor again. Jude sighed as he took a moment to collect himself.

"A-anyway," he said, leading the conversation back. "Since I can still feel the Four, they certainly not dead."

"Maybe they're trapped within the lance?" Milla suggested, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

"That's absurd! No human can possibly capture the great spirits!" Ivar objected. Jude sighed as he allowed his posture to slacken.

"No, she has a point." he agreed.

"Lord Maxwell!"

"Think about it, Ivar." Milla said calmly, staring right into Ivar's eyes. "None of the Four are answering Jude's calls. If you take out the impossible then what ever's left must be the truth, no matter how unreasonable it seems."

"You mean if you leave an egg in a box and the egg breaks without the box getting crushed, then the problem must lie in the egg itself, right?" Alvin said, looking over to Milla.

"Pretty much..." Jude said, then narrowed his eyes with a frown, "Wait, you got that from Howe, didn't you?"

"What? His egg principle works." Alvin said with a shrug. Milla shrugged.

"Same difference."

Jude spared a glance at Ivar and blinked. His hand maid was narrowing his eyes at Milla. He couldn't tell if Ivar was looking at her because she was attractive or something else. Shaking his head, he decided to set that to the side and focus on their current problem.

"So the spyrix had strengthened to the point to capture everyone, huh?" He bit his lip. "Now that I don't have the Four...I can't be Maxwell... He... won't let me stay here."

Milla and Alvin almost missed that last bit since Jude's voice nearly faded away completely. Milla didn't miss the look of fear that crossed Jude's expression before it was covered up. He suddenly stood up. He turned around and held his arms as he began to pace around a bit. Ivar got up too, throwing a finger at the adults.

"You need to leave! This is holy ground and I will not allow you to taint it any longer!" he said. He suddenly placed a hand on his hip and over exaggerated his movements as he pointed to himself. "Only I, Ivar, can be Lord Jude's handmai-!"

He cut himself as he felt small hands pressing him against his back. Ivar looked behind him to see Jude pushing him toward the door. "Lord Jude?! W-what are you doing!?"

"Uhm, Milla? Alvin? Can you please give me a moment by myself? I need to think about this." Jude said, giving them a begging smile. The adults shared a look before Milla nodded.

"Alright. We'll be right outside." Milla assured him. She began to head back out with Alvin right behind her.

"Wait! Why are you pushing me, Jude?!" Ivar asked as he tried to resist. Jude gave a smile.

"Oh, I'm just doing something I should've done a loooong time ago." he said.

"Huh?" Ivar barely had the chance to reacted as Jude promptly shoved him out the door with enough force to cause Ivar to stumble. It was almost comical as Ivar tripped over his own feet and tumbled down the steps. He practically face planted the ground once he reached the bottom, right at Alvin's heels.

"What the-?!" Alvin started, but stopped as Ivar shot up like a daisy to look to Jude.

"Lord Jude!" Ivar began. Jude smiled and had a hand on the edge of the open door.

"One hour, Ivar. Leave me alone for one hour." he said simply. He didn't even wait for an answer as he slammed the door shut, right when his handmaid tried to hurry back inside. Jude leaned against the door and flinched when he heard Milla's stern voice.

"Hey."

"Gah!"

"You're his handmaid, aren't you? You-"

Jude didn't bother to listen to them as he moved away from the door. The fear he tried to suppress came back at full force. It made his throat dry and his stomach churn with unease. His body shook with the amount of disappointment he felt at his utter failure. This was the first time he ever made a mistake as big as this before!

Gripping his elbows, he dropped to his knees and reached into his coat, pulling out the key of the spyrix weapon. He was well aware of the faint figure that appeared behind his throne, staring right at him with grim eyes.

 ** _"You call yourself the Lord of Spirits?"_**  the voice practically hissed.

"I know. I'll get them back." Jude said as he clutched the key in his hand, keeping his voice steady. "If this is what that woman and the Rashugal army is after..."

He looked up at the figure and held the key tighter. "I'll get stronger, and face them with everything I have."

Jude stared up at it determinedly with a light of fire in his eyes. "With or without the Four."

The figure stayed for a moment longer before giving a faint nod.

**_"Remember, you are Maxwell. You must never forget. Never."_ **

"Yes... I know." Jude closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth at the pressuring reminder. At the back of his mind, he was relieved for the second chance, but upfront he was stressed. He didn't need the reminder, and he wasn't going to hear it again.

He was Maxwell, Lord over all of the Spirits.

"I know."

Jude's voice nearly cracked.

 

 


End file.
